f*  JUL  22   1903   *j 

BV  4423  .G6  1903 
Golder ,  Christian. 
History  of  the  deaconess 
movement  in  the  Christian 

HISTORY  OF  THE 


Deaconess  Movement 


IN  THE  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH 


By  REV.  C.  GOLDER,  Ph.  D, 


With  200  Illnstratio7is 


CINCINNATI:    JENNINGS  AND  PYE 
NEW  YORK:    EATON  AND   MAINS 


Copyright,  1903,  by 
Jennings  and  Pye 


PREFACE. 

When  we  consider  the  fact  that  at  least  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  Deaconess  Institutions  (inclusive  of 
the  various  branch  Homes)  have  been  founded  within 
the  last  fifteen  years  in  the  United  States  alone, 
ninety  of  which  are  controlled  by  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  that  the  number  of  deaconesses 
has  increased  during  this  period  to  over  eighteen  hun- 
dred, it  is  clear  that  a  presentation  of  the  historical 
development  of  this  promising  and  rapidly-growing 
movement  has  become  a  matter  of  necessity.  I  had 
hoped  that  a  more  capable  pen  would  take  up  the  task; 
but  as  year  after  year  slipped  by  without  an  attempt 
in  this  direction,  I  concluded  that  I  ought  to  comply 
with  the  desire  of  the  Central  Deaconess  Board  of  the 
German  Methodist  Conferences,  and  the  request  of  a 
number  of  friends  of  the  cause,  and  therefore  have 
undertaken  to  write  this  volume.  Ten  or  twelve  years 
ago  several  valuable  books  on  the  Deaconess  Cause 
appeared  in  this  country,  namely:  "Deaconesses  in 
Europe  and  America,"  by  Jane  M.  Bancroft  Robin- 
son, Ph.  D.,  (1890);  "Deaconesses,  Biblical,  Early 
Church,  European,  American,"  by  Lucy  Rider  Meyer 
(1889);  "Deaconesses,  Ancient  and  Modern,"  by  Rev. 
Henry  Wheeler  (1889);  "The  Deaconess  and  her  Voca- 
tion," by  Bishop  J.  M.  Thoburn  (1893).  At  that  time 
the  Deaconess  Cause  was  in  its  infancy  in  this  country; 

3 


4  Preface. 

to-day  it  has  passed  the  experimental  stage,  and  the 
history  of  its  development  has  awakened  a  remarkable 
degree  of  interest.  The  time  is  ripe,  as  was  the  case 
nearly  seventy  years  ago  in  Germany,  for  the  renewal 
of  this  apostolic  office,  and  the  work,  although  still  sub- 
ject to  much  misunderstanding,  is  from  year  to  year 
gaining  a  more  definite  and  permanent  shape.  Diffi- 
culties of  all  kinds  are  still  to  be  overcome;  but  the 
object  in  view  is  now  more  clearly  understood.  It  is 
hoped  that  the  following  pages  may  show  the  great  im- 
portance of  this  work  by  presenting  a  comprehensive 
view  of  its  development  in  the  Old  and  New  World. 

The  history  of  the  female  diaconate,  from  the  time 
of  the  apostles  up  to  the  present,  has  repeatedly  been 
written  by  specialists  in  England,  and  especially  in  Ger- 
many; and  the  origin  and  development  of  the  insti- 
tutions belonging  to  the  General  Conference  of  Kaisers- 
werth  may  be  found  in  well-written  books;  but  the  in- 
stitutions of  the  Free  Churches  of  Germany,  as  well 
as  the  movement  in  England,  and  especially  in  America, 
have,  as  far  as  we  know,  never  been  comprehensively 
treated.  This  fact  is  of  itself  a  sufficient  justification 
of  the  appearance  of  this  book.  As  it  is  intended  chiefly 
for  American  readers,  and  appeared  first  in  the  German 
and  now  also  in  the  English  language,  it  seemed  best 
to  give  a  complete  though  abbreviated  historical  review 
of  the  movement.  All  denominational  barriers  disap- 
pear in  tbe  work  of  Christian  love;  therefore,  I  did 
not  hesitate  to  disregard  all  sectarian  interests,  and  have 
given  a  general  view  of  the  Deaconess  Movement  with- 
out denominational  bias. 

Since  illustrations  are  the  fashion  nowadays,  and, 
outside  of  a  German  book  published  by  Pastor  Dissel- 
hoff  entitled  "Jubilate,"  no  illustrated  book  on  this  sub- 


Preface.  5 

ject  has  appeared  either  in  German  or  English,  I  have 
been  at  much  pains  to  secure  abundant  material  for 
this  purpose,  and  take  this  occasion  to  express  my  sin- 
cere thanks  to  the  directors  of  institutions,  at  home  and 
abroad,  for  their  kind  and  prompt  assistance.  I  regret 
that  I  was  unal)le,  in  many  instances,  to  obtain  photo- 
graphs, and  in  such  cases  I  was  obliged  to  depend  on 
the  pictures  found  in  annual  reports  and  magazines. 
That  is  the  reason  why  the  pictures  are  not  all  uniform 
in  execution.  I  also  express  my  thanks  to  the  numerous 
friends  who  assisted  me  with  historical  sketches  and 
other  information.  Especial  credit  is  due  to  Mrs.  Jane 
M.  Bancroft  Eobinson,  Ph.  D.,  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  and 
Mrs.  Lucy  Rider  Meyer,  of  Chicago;  also  to  Rev.  H.  W. 
Hortsch,  secretary  of  the  Protestant  Deaconess  Confer- 
ence, and  superintendent  of  the  German  Protestant 
Deaconess  Institution  in  Cincinnati. 

I  shall  be  thankful  if  any  error  discovered  is 
promptly  reported  to  me  for  the  next  edition.  If  the 
reader  shall  be  moved  to  praise  God  for  the  Deaconess 
Movement  and  to  devote  himself  to  the  advancement 
of  this  cause,  the  chief  object  of  this  book  will  have 
been  accomplished. 

CiNciNxNATi,  0.  C.  GOLDER. 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 
CHAPTER  I. 

The   Female    Diaconate    iu    Apostolic    Times    and    Until    the 

Reformation 1^ 

CHAPTER  II. 

The  Rpnewal  of  the  Female  Diaconate  in  Modern  Times 33 

CHAPTER  III. 
The  Institutions  at  Kaiserswerth 59 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Development  of  the  Deaconess  Work  in  the  State  Church 

of  Germany « '^^ 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Free  Church  Deaconess  Institutions  in  Germany.  Switzer- 
land, and  Sweden 128 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Deaconess  Cause  in  England  and  Scotland 170 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Deaconess  Institutions  in  Other  European  Countries 208 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Deaconess  Work  in  the  Lutheran  Church  of  America 249 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Deaconess  Homes  in  Various  Protestant  Churches  in  Amer- 
ica     273 

CHAPTER  X. 

The   Beginning  of  Deaconess   Work   in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  in  America 305 

7 


8  Contents. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Deaconess  Homes  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the 

United  States 341 

CHAPTER  Xn. 

Deaconess    Homes    of    German    Methodists    in    the    United 

States 420 

CHAPTER  Xin, 

The  Female  Diaconate  in  the   Protestant   Episcopal   Church 

of  America  and  in  Other  Churches  and  Lands 440 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Mission   and   Aim   of   the   Female   Diaconate   in   the   United 

States 480 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Hospital  in  General,  and  the  Deaconess  Hospital  in  Par- 
ticular     498 


APPENDIX. 

Page. 

The  Woman  Question  in  the  Light  of  the  New  Testament.  .  .   52G 

Scriptural  Conceptions  of  Deaconesses  and  Their  Work 547 

Principles  of  the   Deaconess   Office   and   Outlines   of  the  Or- 
ganization of  Kaiserswerth 557 

Constitution  of  the  Deaconess  Mother  House  Connected  with 

the  General   Conference   of   Kaiserswerth 570 

The  Deaconess  Mother  House 574 

The  Deaconess  and  the  Professional  Nurse 585 

Deaconess  Institutions  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  .  .   597 
Deaconess    Mother    Houses    Belonging    to    the    Kaiserswerth 

Conference (303 

Statistics    of    the    Protestant    Deaconess    Conference    in    the 

United  States 605 

Statistics    of    the    Lutheran    Deaconess    Conference    in    the 

United  States. 605 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


■  Fliedner,   Theodor Frontispiece 

PORTRAITS  (IN  EUROPE). 

Amann,  Amanda,  Neuenhain 149 

Anna,  Sister,  Countess  of  Stolberg-Weringerode 77 

Bodelschwingh,  Pastor  Friedrich  von 89 

Charteris,  D.  D.,  Rev.  Archibald  Hamilton 203 

Dipon,  Maria,  Pforzheim 150 

Disselhofe,    D.   D.,    Rev.   Julius 64 

Eckert,  Rev.  G.  J.,  Superintendent  of  the  Martha  and  Mary 

Society   1.53 

Empress  of  Germany  Visiting  the  Sick  in  a  Deaconess  Hos- 
pital       127 

Fliedner,  Caroline  (Bertheau) 49 

Fry,  Elizabeth 175 

Gossner,   Pastor  Johannes 85 

Haerter,  Rev.  Franz  Heinrich 80 

Hughes,  Rev.  Hugh  Price 192 

Hurter,  Sophie,  Hamburg 148 

Keck,  Louise,   Head  Deaconess 80 

Kajser,  Anna,  First  Methodist  Deaconess  in  Sweden 169 

Keller,  Emilie,  Zurich 149 

Keller,   Martha,   Frankfort-on-the-Main 148 

Langenau,  Baroness  von 155 

Leiser,    Eliza,    Lausanne 149 

Loehe,   Pastor  Wilhelra 93 

Malvesin,  Mademoiselle 212 

Mann,  Rev.  H.,  President  of  the  "Bethany"  Society 137 

Nightingale,  Florence 175 

Ninck,   Rev.   Karl  Wilhelm  Theodor 102 

Ostertag,   Katherine,   Berlin 149 

Pennefather,  D.  D.,  Rev.  William,   London 186 

Recke-Vollmerstein,  Count  Adelbert  v.  d 43 

Reichard,   Gertrude 48 

Reiche,  Auguste,  Strasburg 150 

Schaefer,  Pastor  Theodor,  Rector  in  Altona 98 

Scheve,  Rev.  Edward 166 

Scheve,   Mrs.   B 166 

Schneider,  Louise 154 

9 


10  List  of  Illustrations. 


Senn,  Verena,   St,  Gallen 149 

Sieveking,   Amelia 38 

Staeiibli,  Lucie,  Vienna 149 

Stevenson,  Rev.  Dr 198 

Uhlhorn,  Dr.  Gerhard 10(> 

Valette,    Pastor   Louis 211 

Vermeil,  Pastor  Antoine 209 

Weiss,  Rev.  L.,  Superintendent  of  the  "Bethany"  Society.  . .  .   147 
Wichern,  Rev.  Johann 53 


PORTRAITS   (IN  AMERICA). 

Abbott,  Anna  Agnes • 426 

Bancroft,  Miss  Henrietta  A 329 

Bangerten,  Marie,  Head  Deaconess 274 

Baur,  .lohanna  M 427 

Beard,  D.  D.,  Rev.  J.  N 388 

Binder,   Martha 441 

Buckley,  D.  D.,  Rev.  J.  M 517 

Deaconesses,  The  Seven,  in  the  First  Training-school  in  the 

United  States 411 

Gallagher,  D.  D.,  Rev.  C.  W 30G 

Gamble,  Mrs.  Fanny  Nast 410 

Gamble,  James  N 35(3 

Golder,  Miss  Louise '437 

Gregg,  Mary  Eva 425 

Harris,  N.  W » 344 

Haynes,  Mrs.  Kate  Rawls 358 

Hennig,  F.  Frank  F 288 

Hortsch,  Rev.  H.  W 27(3 

Ingram,  Helen 42(3 

Kreitler,   F.   X 434 

Lankenau,  John  D 257 

Lunn,  Miss  Mary  E 418 

Martens,  Catherine  Louise,  First  American  Deaconess 254 

Meyer,  Mrs.  Lucy  Rider 317 

Meyer,  Rev.  J.  S 347 

Napper,  Dr.  Albert 512 

Palmer,  Miss  Sybil  C 374 

Passavant,  D.  D.,  Rev.  W.  A 250 

Peirce,   Miss  Hannah   M. . 358 

Reeves,  Isabella  A 426 

Riley,  Rev.  W.  H 410 

Robinson,  Mrs.  Jane  M.  Bancroft 323 

Roentgen,  Rev.  J.  H.  G 294 

Rust,  Mrs.  R.  S 831 

Scott,  Miss  E.  Jane 476 

Seney,  George  1 520 


List  of  Illustrations.  11 


Severingbaus,  J,   F 445 

Spaulding,  Miss  Winifred 384 

Stewart,  Dr.  Scott 522 

Tlioburn,  Bishop  James  INI 313 

Thoburn,  Miss  Isabella 420 

Traeger,  Rev.  W.  H 438 

Wallon,  Rev.  L 443 

Weakley,  D.  D.,  Rev.  H.  C 392 

INSTITUTIONS  IN  EUROPE. 

Altona,  Deaconess  Home  in 96 

Amsterdam,  The  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in 230 

Amsterdam,  The  Lutheran  Deaconess  Home  in 231 

Arnheim,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 228 

Berlin,  The  Deaconess  Home  "Bethanien"  in 75 

Berlin,  The  Deaconess  Home  "Bethel"  in 167 

Berlin,  The  Deaconess  Home  "Lazarus"  in 121 

Berlin,  The  Methodist  Deaconess  Home  "Ebenezer"  in 140 

Bielefeld,  The  Deaconess  Home  "Sarepta"  in 86 

Bielefeld,  Some  of  the  Deaconess  Institutions  in 87 

Breslau,  Main  Buildings  of  the  Deaconess  Institution  in.,..    120 

Budapest,  The  Deaconess  Home  "Bethesda"  in 242 

Colmar,  The  Deaconess  Home  of  the  Bethany  Society  of  the 

Evangelical  Association   in   Alsace 164 

Copenhagen,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 244 

Danzig,  The  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in 121 

Darmstadt,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 116 

Doi'tmund,  The  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in 119 

Dresden,  The  Evangelical  Lutheran  Deaconess  Institution  in.    114 

Edinburgh,  Scotland,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 202 

Elberfeld,  The  Deaconess  Home  "Bethesda"  in 160 

Frankfort-on-the-Main,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 110 

Frankfort-on-the-Main,    The    Mother   House   of  the    Rethania 

Society  in 133 

Gallneukirchen,  The  Deaconess  Mother  House  in 244 

Haarlem,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 227 

Hague,  The,  Deaconess  Home  in 225 

Hague,  The,  Evangelical  Deaconess  Home  in 224 

Halle,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 116 

Hamburg,   The   Deaconess   Home   "Ebenezer"   in 101 

Hamburg-Eppendorf,    The    Methodist    Deaconess    Home    and 

Bethany  Hospital  in 131 

Hanover,  The  Deaconess  Home  "Henriettastift" 107 

Kaiserswerth,  The  Deaconess  Mother  House  in 65 

Kaiserswerth,    The    Deaconess    Hospital    Twenty-five    Years 

Ago    62 

Kaiserswerth,  The  First  Deaconess  Home  in 59 

Kaiserswerth,  The  Institutions  in 67 


12  List  of  Illustrations. 


Kaiserswerth  Twenty-five  Years  Ago 60 

Karlsruhe,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 109 

Leipzig,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 104 

Magdeburg,  The  Deaconess  Home  of  the  Martha  and  Mary 

Society   157 

Muehlhausen,  "Bethesda"  of  the  Bethany  Society  of  the  Evan- 
gelical  Association,  Alsace 1G4 

Munich,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 15S 

Neumuenster,  Switzerland,  The  Deaconess  Institution  in,...   21!> 

Niesky,  The  Deaconess  Home  "Emmaus"  in 108 

Nuremberg,  The  Deaconess  Mother  House  of  the  Martha  and 

Mary   Society 150 

Posen,  The  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in 120 

St,  Gallen,  Switzerland,  The  Deaconess  Home  "Bethany"  in.    144 

St.  Loup,  Switzerland,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 215 

St.  Petersburg,  The  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital 238 

Strassburg,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 81 

Strassburg,  The  Mother  House  of  the  Bethany  Society  of  the 

Evangelical  Association  in  Alsace 104 

Stuttgart,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 100 

Tottenham,  London,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 184 

Utrecht,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 223 

Vienna,  The  New  Evangelical  Deaconess  Home  in 118 

Wehlheiden  near  Cassel,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 117 

Zehlendorf  near  Berlin,  Home  of  the  Evangelical   Diaconate 

Society  123 

Zurich,  Switzerland,  The  Methodist  Deaconess  Home  in 143 

INSTITUTIONS  IN  AMERICA. 

Allegheny  City,  Pa.,  The  St.  John's  Hospital  in 263 

Aurora,  111.,  The  Young  Woman's  School 352 

Baltimore,  Md.,  The  Deaconess  Home  (Lombard  Street)  in..   377 
Baltimore,   Md,,   "Mount  Tabor,"   The  Deaconess   Home  and 

Industrial   Building   in 37(5 

Boston,  Mass,,  The  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in 371 

Boston,  Mass,,  New  England  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital 

(projected  building) •: 372 

Brooklyn,    N.   Y,,   The   Bethany   Deaconess   Home   and   Hos- 
pital in 442 

Brooklyn,  N,  Y.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 369 

Brooklyn,  N.  Y,,  The  Methodist  Episcopal  Hospital  in 519 

Brooklyn,  N,  Y.,  The  Norwegian  Deaconess  Hospital  in....   271 

Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  The  Methodist  Deaconess  Home  in 380 

Buffalo,   N.   Y.,   The   Protestant   Deaconess   Home   and   Hos- 
pital in 285 

Chicago,    111,,    The   "Bethesda"    Deaconess    Home   and    Hos- 
pital in 290 


List  of  Illustratioj^"S.  13 


Chicago,   111.,   The  First   Deaconess   Home  of  the   Methodist 

Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States 342 

Chicago,  111.,  The  German  Deaconess  Institute  in ; .  .  440 

Chicago,  111.,  The  "Harris  Hall"  Deaconess  Training-school  in  345 

Chicago,  111..  The  "Wesley"  Hospital  in 353 

Cincinnati,  O.,  The  Christ  Hospital  in 355 

Cincinnati,  O.,  The  Elizabeth  Gamble  Deaconess  Home  in.  . .   360 
Cincinnati,    O.,    The    German    Deaconess    Home    (First    Hos- 
pital) in 274 

Cincinnati,  O.,  The  German  Deaconess  Home  (New  Hospital 

and   Deaconess  Home)  in 274 

Cincinnati.   O.,    The   German    Methodist   Mother    House   and 

Bethesda  Hospital  in 431 

Cincinnati,  O.,  The  Methodist  Old  People's  Home  in 391 

Cleveland,  O.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 382 

Cleveland,  O.,  The  Deaconess  Home  of  the  German  Reformed 

Church   293 

Cunningham,  The,  Deaconess  Home  and  Orphanage 407 

Deaconess  Home  of  the  Southwest  Kansas  Conference 398 

Denver,  Col.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 397 

Detroit,   Mich,   The  Deaconess  Home  in 405 

Edgewater,    111.,    The    Proposed    Deaconess    Home    for    Old 

People 351 

Evansville,  Ind.,  The  Protestant  Deaconess  Home  and  Hos- 
pital in 281 

First  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in  the  United  States.  .  .   2.52 
Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  The  Aldrich  Memorial  Deaconess  Home 

in 394 

Indianapolis,  Ind.,  The  Protestant  Deaconess  Home  and  Hos- 
pital in 284 

Jeffersonville,   Ind.,  The  Deaconess   Hospital  in 402 

Lake  Bluff,  111.,  The  Agard  Deaconess  Sanitarium  in 3.50 

Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 389 

Louisville,  Ky.,  The  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in 444 

Milwaukee,  Wis.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 399 

Milwaukee,    Wis.,    The   Deaconess   Mother   House   and    Hos- 
pital in 2<^'5 

Minneapolis,  Minn.,  The  Asbury  Hospital  (First  Building)  in.   373 
Minneapolis,   Minn.,   The   Rebecca   Deaconess  Home  and   As- 
bury Hospital  (New  Building) 375 

New  York  City,  The  Baptist  Deaconess  Home  in 473 

New  York  City,  The  Deaconess  Home  and  Training-school  in  308 

Ocean  Grove,  N.  .J.,  The  Bancroft  Rest  Home  in 408 

Omaha,  Neb.,  The  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in 3(35 

Omaha,  Neb.,  The  Immanuel  Deaconess  Institute  in 2(39 

Peoria,  111.,  The  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in 400 

Philadelphia,  Pa.,  The  German  Deaconess  Hospital  in 2.59 

Philadelphia,  Pa.,  The  Mary  .J.  Drexel  Deaconess  Home  in.  .   260 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  The  Methodist  Deaconess  Home  in 378 


14  List  of  Illustrations. 


Philadelphia,  Pa.,  The  Methodist  Episcopal  Hospital  in 522 

Pittsburg,  Pa.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 381 

Pittsburg,  Pa.,  The  Passavant  Hospital  in 255 

Rensselaer,  N.  Y.,  The  GrifGn  Deaconess  Home  in 401 

Roanoke,  W.  Va.,  The  Colored  Deaconess  Home  in 412 

San    Francisco,    Cal.,    The    Deaconess    Home    and    Training- 
school  in 887 

St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  The  Ensworth  Deaconess  Home  in 404 

St.  Louis,   Mo.,  The  Evangelical  Deaconess  Home  and   Hos- 
pital in 297 

Spokane,  Wash.,  The  Maria  Beard  Deaconess  Home  in 386 

Toronto,  Canada,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 475 

Toronto,  Canada,  The  Deaconess  Home  and  Training-school 

in 463 

Verbank,  N.  Y.,  The  Watts  De  Peyster  Home  in 395 

Washington,  D.  C,  The  Lucy  Webb  Hayes  Deaconess  Home 

in 362 

Washington,  D.  C,  The  Rust  Training-school  in 365 

Washington,  D.  C,  The  Sibley  Memorial  Hospital  in 364 

INSTITUTIONS  IN  AFRICA,  ASIA,  INDIA,  ETC. 

Alexandria,  Egypt,  The  Deaconess  Hospital  in 71 

Cairo,  Egypt,  The  Deaconess  Hospital  "Victoria"  in 72 

Kolar,  India,  The  William  A.  Gamble  Deaconess  Home  in.  .  .   415 
Smyrna,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 69 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEACONESS  MOVEMENT 
IN  THE  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH. 


CHAPTER     I. 

THE  FEMALE  DIACONATE  IN  APOSTOLIC  TIMES  AND 
UNTIL  THE  REFOKMATION. 

The  Christian  Church  was  slow  in  grasping  the  idea 
of  the  nature  and  object  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  The 
history  of  this  kingdom  and  that  of  humanity  in  gen- 
eral would  have  been  ess'entially  different  if  this  had 
not  been  the  case.  The  Church  would  have  exerted  a 
more  extended  influence  and  proven  a  greater  blessing. 
As  it  was,  she  paid  too  much  attention  to  theory  and 
doctrine,  and  too  little  to  the  practical  life.  In  later 
times  she  subordinated  such  temporal  affairs  as  the 
physical  welfare  of  the  poor,  the  sick,  the  widows  and 
orphans,  prisoners,  etc.,  altogether  too  much  to  her  spirit- 
ual interests,  and  Church  organizations  have  too  often 
forgotten  that  the  Judge  of  the  world  will  say  on  that 
great  day:  "I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  meat: 
I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink:  I  was  a  stranger, 
and  ye  took  me  in:  naked,  and  ye  clothed  me:  I  was 
sick,  and  ye  visited  me:  I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came 
to  me,"  or  the  reverse.  (Matt,  xxv,  35,  36.)  It  is  clear 
that  both  the  body  and  the  soul  of  man  must  be  in- 
cluded in  the  ministrations  of  the  Church.  The  work 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  also  typifies  this.  He  preached  the 
gospel  of  the   kingdom,   and   taught   in  the  synagogues; 

15 


16  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

but  he  also  made  the  blind  to  see,  the  lame  to  walk, 
the  deaf  to  hear,  cleansed  the  lepers,  and  healed  the 
sick.  He  fed  the  hungry  and  blessed  the  children.  He 
proved  himself  to  be,  not  only  the  Son  of  God  coming 
down  from  heaven,  but  also  the  Son  of  man,  "who  came 
not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister."  In  this 
he  has  left  us  an  example  "that  we  should  follow  his 
stejjs."  We  must  not  only  understand  the  doctrine  of 
the  Divinity  of  Jesus^  but  we  must  also  have  a  right 
understanding  of  his  humanity.  As  his  work  included 
the  whole  man,  body  and  soul,  so  the  Church  must  con- 
tinue his  work  in  this  twofold  aspect.  She  should  bring 
man  into  right  relations  with  God — that  is,  care  for 
the  salvation  of  his  soul — but  at  the  same  time  she  must 
bring  men  into  right  relations  with  one  another,  and 
concern  herself  with  the  amel-ioration  and  improvement 
of  those  temporal  conditions  which  so  closely  affect  his 
existence  in  this  world. 

And  let  us  keep  in  mind  that  God  did  not  design 
the  Church  to  be  a  machine  whose  wheels  and  springs 
have  been  regulated  for  all  time,  but  that  the  Church 
is  an  organism,  which  adapts  itself  to  growing  needs 
and  develops  according  to  changing  conditions.  This 
Church  organism  is  like  a  tree,  which  has  the  power  of 
growth  and  development  in  itself,  putting  forth  new 
branches,  blossoms,  fruit,  and  foliage  in  due  season. 
The  institutions  and  rules  of  the  Apostolic  Church  were 
very  simple ;  a  Church  organization  such  as  we  have 
to-day,  with  its  benevolent  institutions,  its  Missionary, 
Educational,  Tract,  and  Bible  Societies,  its  Sunday- 
schools,  Asylums,  Houses  of  Kescue,  its  Deaconess  Homes 
and  Hospitals,  its  Homes  for  the  Aged  and  Orphans, 
its  Magdalen  Refuges  and  Lodging-houses,  its  City, 
Emigrant,  and  Jewish  Missions,  as  well  as  its  extensive 


The  Female  Diaconate.  17 

activity  among  prisoners  and  the  lost  and  erring  of 
all  classes,  was  unknown  in  the  Apostolic  Church;  but, 
like  a  grain  of  mustard-seed,  this  all-inclusive  work  of 
love  is  contained  in  the  clearly-established  principles  of 
the  Scriptures.  God  committed  the  form  of  government 
and  the  final  development  of  the  future  Church  to  the 
Church  itself.  He  gave  life  and  sent  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  it  naturally  followed  that  the  constitution  and  neces- 
sary institutions  of  the  Christian  Church  would  be  de- 
veloped with  the  growing  needs  of  humanity.  It  was 
not  necessary  that  God  should  give  us  a  doctrinal  sys- 
tem, much  less  that  he  should  give  us  constitutions, 
by-laws,  and  regulations  for  all  desirable  benevolent  in- 
stitutions and  organizations;  for  "where  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  is,  there  is  liberty."  Possessing  the  Spirit,  it  would 
not  be  difficult  for  the  Church  to  find  the  right  forms, 
and  to  change  them,  whenever  necessary,  as  the  occasion 
might  demand.  Therefore  the  merciful  ministrations  of 
the  Church  should  not  be  bound  by  forms  and  fetters. 
It  was  rather  the  intention  of  God  that  they  should  be 
free  and  elastic,  fitting  themselves  to  the  needs  and 
circumstances  of  the  centuries  and  of  different  peoples. 
Naturally,  the  prosperity  of  the  Church  required  .regular 
offices,  and  the  x4postolic  Church  felt  that  the  unorgan- 
ized benevolence  of  its  Church  members  was  not  suffi- 
cient, and  that  new  adjustments  would  always  be  re- 
quired. 

The  Church  in  Jerusalem  grew,  and  we  read:  "Now 
in  these  days,  when  the  number  of  the  disciples  was 
multiplying,  there  arose  a  murmuring  of  the  Grecian 
Jews  against  the  Hebrews,  because  their  widows  were 
neglected  in  the  daily  ministration.''  (Acts  vi,  1.)  The 
congregation  bore  a  family  character,  and  the  com- 
munistic feeling  was  so  strong  that  the  individual  pos- 


18  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

sessions  of  each  were  subordinated  to  the  whole,  the 
restrictions  of  private  property  were  abolished,  and  the 
meals  were  taken  in  common.  Already,  at  this  time, 
the  apostles  to  whom  the  leadership  of  the  Church  had 
been  committed  found  it  no  longer  possible  to  do  all 
the  work  required.  They  could  not  devote  themselves 
to  the  "ministry  (Greek,  dialconia)  of  the  Word,"  and 
also  "serve  (Greek,  diakonein)  tables."  Therefore  they 
asked  for  the  selection  of  "seven  men  of  good  report, 
full  of  the  Spirit  and  of  wisdom,  whom  we  may  appoint 
over  this  business."  (Acts  vi,  3.)  This  was  the  origin 
of  the  male  diaconate.  Into  its  care  the  sick  were  given, 
as  we  undoubtedly  understand  from  Acts  vi,  8;  viii,  5; 
and  these  men  combined  the  work  of  evangelization  with 
the  office  of  serving  the  sick  and  the  poor.  The  deacons 
were  ready,  whenever  the  opportunity  offered,  to  testify 
for  the  Lord  or  to  show  a  seeking  soul  the  way  into 
the  light.  We  read  in  the  "Apostolic  Constitutions," 
"Let  the  deacon  be  the  bishop's  ear,  eye,  mouth,  heart 
and  soul."  The  last  expression,  "heart  and  soul,"  clearly 
indicates  that  the  office  of  service  was  conceived  of  as 
distinct  from,  but  as  growing  out  of,  the  ministry  of 
the  Word,  and  that  these  two  forms  of  service  supple- 
ment each  other.  So  it  appears  that  the  diaconate  did 
not  lack  freedom  of  development  according  to  the  needs 
of  the  times.  As  the  times,  so  the  manners,  customs, 
and  institutions. 

Diakonia,  or  the  corresponding  verb  diakonein,  de- 
notes a  variety  of  kinds  of  service.  A  deacon  is  a 
servant,  and  Luther  frequently  translated  the  word 
diaconate  (service)  with  "office."  The  Bible  uses  it  in  a 
broader  sense  as  coming  under  the  classification  of 
"diversities  of  administrations"  and  "workings."     In  a 


The  Female  Diaconate.  19 

narrower  sense  in  the  history  of  the  Church,  a  certain 
office  is  foreshadowed  as  the  ministry  of  helpful  service 
in  contradistinction  from  the  ministry  of  the  Word.  The 
apostle  required  of  the  deaconess,  above  all  things,  three 
qualifications:  1.  A  good  report;  2.  Being  filled  with 
the  Spirit;  3.  Possessing  wisdom.  But  the  communica- 
tion of  spiritual  gifts  varied  according  to  the  diversity 
o^  character,  and  we  must  conclude  from  1  Cor.  xii  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  took  the  natural  gifts  of  the  individual 
into  account  in  the  distribution  of  spiritual  gifts.  The 
Holy  Spirit  equipped  woman  in  an  especial  manner  for 
the  service  of  tlie  Church,  and  in  Rom.  xvi  the  Apostle 
Paul  shows  us  that  he  is  perfectly  convinced  of  the 
blessing  which  godly  women  wrought  in  the  Apostolic 
Church.  He  himself  recruited  a  large  number  of  his 
workers  from  among  the  women.  He  called  them  his 
"fellow-workers,"  and  says  that  they  have  "labored  much 
in  the  Lord."  They  acted  as  prophets  in  many  places 
in  Asia  Minor,  and  of  many  of  them  we  know  that  they 
prophesied.  It  is  not  improbable  that  these  female  work- 
ers, or  servants  (deaconesses),  devoted  themselves  es- 
pecially to  their  own  sex.  That  this  was  done  exclusively, 
however,  is  nowhere  proven. 

The  Scriptural  right  of  the  female  diaconate  is  es- 
pecially apparent  when  we  think  of  Phoebe,  of  apostolic 
times,  who  is  expressly  called  "a  servant  [deacon]  of  the 
Church  which  is  at  Cenchrea."  That  Phoebe  is  not 
called  a  deaconess,  but  a  deacon,  proves  that  not  only 
the  male  diaconate  was  legitimately  acknowledged  in  the 
Apostolic  Church,  but  that  the  office  of  the  deaconess 
was  officially  sanctioned  in  a  perfectly  similar  manner. 
So  far  as  this  office  is  concerned,  woman  is  apparently 
placed  in  the  same  rank  as  man,  and  that  by  the  Apostle 


20  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Paul  himself.  He  writes  to  the  Church  in  Rome :  "I 
commend  unto  you  Phoebe,  our  sister,  who  is  a  servant 
of  the  Church  that  is  at  Cenchrea :  that  ye  receive  her 
in  the  Lord,  worthily  of  the  saints,  and  that  ye  assist 
her  in  whatsoever  matter  slie  may  have  need  of  you: 
for  she  herself  also  hath  been  a  succorer  of  many,  and 
of  mine  own  self."  (Pom.  xvi,  1,  2.)  The  apostle  recom- 
mends Phoebe  to  the  Church  in  Rome,  the  deaconess,  ^, 
literally,  the  diaconus  (the  word  "deaconess"  is  not  used 
in  the  Scriptures)  ;  and  with  that  he  clearly  states  what 
her  office  and  calling  is.  So  there  were  male  and  female 
deacons  in  the  Apostolic  Church,  and  Sister  Phoebe  is 
the  first  female  representative  of  this  office  of  whom 
we  have  any "  knowledge.  x\pparently  the  office  is  estab- 
lished by  the  apostles  themselves,  and  1  Tim.  iii,  2-13, 
gives  unimportant  particulars  concerning  it.  Here  the 
office  of  the  bishop  as  well  as  that  of  the  deacon  is 
mentioned ;  it  would  be  surprising  to  find  the '  wives  of 
the  deacons  mentioned  while  the  wives  of  bishops  are 
passed  over  in  silence.  Therefore  several  commentators 
explain  the  word  "women"  (verse  11)  as  referring  to 
female  deacons.  Dr.  Adam  Clarke  says:  "If  the  apostle 
had  those  termed  deaconesses  in  his  mind,  which  is  quite 
possible,  the  words  are  peculiarly  suited  to  them."  The 
apostle  frequently  gave  advice  to  those  who  held  this 
office,  and  he  was  anxious  that  no  unworthy  persons 
might  crowd  themselves  into  it.  Rom.  xvi,  1,  2,  justifies 
the  belief  that  we  are  here  concerned  with  a  well-regu- 
lated female  diaconate,  only  that  the  office  of  the 
deaconess  was  less  conspicuous  and  public.  It  was,  no 
doubt,  introduced  quietly,  just  as  the  Sabbath  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  first  day  of  the  week.  In  any  case  this 
much  is  certain,  that  the  office  existed  in  a  well-regulated 
form  in  the  Apostolic  Church,  and  that  it  had  the  sane- 


The  Female  Diaconate.  21 

tion  of  the  apostles.  In  his  "Church  History"  Dr.  Philip 
Schaff,  amongst  other  things^  says: 

"Deaconesses,  or  female  helpers,  had  a  similar  charge 
of  the  poor  and  sick  in  the  female  portion  of  the  Church. 
This  office  was  the  more  needful  on  account  of  the  rigid 
separation  of  the  sexes  at  that  day,  especially  among 
the  Greeks.  It  opened  to  pious  women  and  virgins,  and 
especially  to  widows,  a  most  suitahle  field  for  the  regu- 
lar official  exercise  of  their  peculiar  gifts  of  self-deny- 
ing love  and  devotion  to  the  welfare  of  the  Church. 
Through  it  they  could  carry  the  light  and  comfort  of 
the  gospel  into  the  most  private  and  delicate  relations 
of  domestic  life,  without  at  all  overstepping  their  nat- 
ural sphere.  Paul  mentions  Phoehe  as  a  deaconess  of 
the  Church  at  Cenchrea,  the  port  of  Corinth;  and  it  is 
more  than  probable  that  Tryphena  and  Tryphosa  and 
Persis,  whom  he  commends  for  their  labor  in  the  Lord, 
served  in  the  same  capacity  at  Rome." 

By  specifying  the  work  of  the  deacon  we  have  also 
specified  the  work  of  the  deaconess.  The  wants  of  the 
female  portion  of  the  Church  are  substantially  the  same 
as  those  of  the  male  portion. 

The  spiritual  baptism  that  came  upon  the  disciples 
at  the  Pentecost  set  every  heart  on  fire  with  the  love 
of  God,  and  "they  all  began  to  speak  with  other  tongues 
as  the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance."  This  was  remem- 
bered during  the  apostolic  age,  and  some  of  the  subjects 
of  it  perhaps  survived  the  apostles.  It  was  not  an  un- 
common thing  for  women  to  speak  or  prophesy  to  the 
edification  of  the  Church;  and  doubtless  some  of  those 
who  were  set  apart  as  deaconesses  obeyed  the  divine 
impulse  and  told  publicly  and  privately  the  story  of  the 
cross.  Neither  deacons  nor  deaconesses  were  specially 
ordained  to  the   work   of  preaching  in  the   early   Post- 


22  History  of  the  Deaconkss  Movement. 

Apostolic  Church,  and  yet  we  are  constrained  to  believe 
that  it  was  not  foreign  to  either.  Priscilla  took  Apollos 
and  "expounded  unto  him  the  way  of  God  more  per- 
fectly," unfolding  to  his  inquiring  mind  the  Scriptures  of 
truth.  "The  new  life  which  pervaded  the  whole  Chris- 
tian society  would  lead  w^omen  as  well  as  men  to  devote 
themselves  to  the  labors  of  love."  Teaching  was  cer- 
tainly a  part  of  their  work.  "The  social  relations  of  the 
sexes  in  the  cities  of  the  empire  would  make  it  fitting 
that  the  agency  of  woman  should  be  employed  largely 
in  the  direct  personal  application  of  spiritual  truth  (Tit- 
ii,  3,  4),  possibly  in  the  preparation  of  female  cate- 
chumens. Their  duties  were  to  take  care  of  the  sick 
and  poor,  and  to  minister  to  martyrs  and  confessors  in 
prison,  to  whom  they  could  more  easily  gain  access  than 
the  deacons;  to  instruct  catechumens,  and  to  assist  at 
the  baptism  of  women;  to  exercise  a  general  oversight 
over  the  female  members  of  the  Church,  and  this  not 
only  in  public,  but  in  private,  making  occasional  reports 
to  the  bishops  and  presbyters."  Jerome  says,  "Each  in 
his  own  sex  they  ministered  in  baptism  and  in  the  min- 
istry of  the  Word." 

Bishop  Lightfoot  says:  "In  reading  the  New  Testa- 
ment I  find  that  the  female  diaconate  refers  to  an 
equally  well-attested  office  as  the  diaconate  of  men. 
Phoebe  is  as  much  a  deacon  as  Stephen  or  Philip."  And 
Dean  Howson,  in  his  well-known  book,  "The  Diaconate 
of  Women,"  says :  "We  may,  strictly  speaking,  express 
the  case  in  still  stronger  terms;  for  Stephen  and  Philip 
are  nowhere  designated  by  this  title,  whereas  Phoebe  is 
distinctly  called  a  diacoiius."  But  even  if  the  apostle 
did  not  use  the  word  in  an  official  sense,  yet  we  know 
that  Phoebe "  exercised  all  the  functions  of  the  office,  and 


The  Female  Diaconate.  23 

that  she  became  the  pattern  of  the  female  diaconate 
of  all  times.  Even  in  later  times^  when  the  Church 
organization  was  perfected,  there  was  no  distinction  made 
between  the  male  and  female  diaconate.  Dr.  Ludlow, 
in  his  book,  "Women's  Work  in  the  Church,"  seeks  to 
prove  that  no  difference  was  made  between  the  ordina- 
tion of  deaconesses  and  deacons;  and  Dr.  Philip  Schaff 
also  believes  that  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  Apostolic 
Church  did  ordain  deaconesses.  Consequently,  the  con- 
secration of  the  deaconess  was  accomplished  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  congregation  through  the  laying  on  of  hands 
on  the  part  of  the  apostles.  The  Apostolic  Church  was 
convinced  that  no  spiritual  victory  was  to  be  gained  with- 
out the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Therefore  the 
installation  of  deacons  into  their  office  by  the  laying  on 
of  hands  was  done  under  the  direction  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Why  should  not  the  deaconesses  have  been  installed  in 
the  same  way  ?  This  is  very  clearly  shown  in  the  "Apos- 
tolic Constitutions,"  where  we  read  the  following:  "With 
regard  to  the  deaconesses,  I,  Bartholomew,  lay  down  the 
following  rules:  The  bishop  shall,  in  the  presence  of 
the  presbyters,  lay  his  hands  on  the  deacons  and  deacon- 
esses and  offer  the  following  prayer:  ^0  eternal  God, 
Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  thou  who  didst  conde- 
scend to  let  thine  only-begotten  Son  be  born  of  a  woman ; 
thou  who  didst  fill  holy  women — Miriam  and  Deborah, 
and  Hannah  and  Huldah — with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
didst  select  women  to  be  the  guardians  of  the  holy  gates, 
both  in  the  tabernacle  and  in  the  temple,  mercifully  be- 
hold these  thy  servants  who  are  now  to  be  consecrated 
to  the  office  of  deaconess.  Fill  them  with  the  Holy 
Spirit,  that  they  may  perform  the  work  to  which  they 
are  called  in  a  worthy  manner,  to  thy  glory  and  the 


24  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

exaltation  of  thy  Son  Jesus  Christ,  through  whom  honor 
and  worship  be  unto  thee  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  now  and 
forever.     Amen.    Amen.' '' 

In  the  above-mentioned  book,  "The  Diaconate  of 
Women,"  Dean  Howson  says:  "It  seems  to  me,  if  we 
simply  keep  to  the  New  Testament,  that  we  have  as 
much  ground  for  the  recognition  of  deaconesses  as  a 
part  of  the  Christian  pastorate  as  we  have  for  the 
episcopacy  itself."  It  certainly  is  to  be  regretted  that 
for  more  than  a  thousand  years  an  office  which  is  so 
clearly  defined  in  the  Holy  Scriptures  should  have  been 
entirely  ignored,  and  that  it  should  have  been  left  to 
the  Church  of  the  Eeformation  to  pave  the  way  for  the 
renewal  of  this  apostolic  institution. 

What  was  the  status  of  deaconesses  in  the  first  cen- 
tury of  the  Christian  period,  and  what  was  their  call- 
ing ?  On  this  point  the  "Apostolic  Constitutions"  *  gives 
us  definite  information.  The  deaconesses  belonged  to 
the  clergy.  Their  consecration,  or  ordination,  was  ac- 
complished by  the  laying  on  of  episcopal  hands.  It  is 
shown  by  the  minutes  and  resolutions  of  different  Coun- 
cils that  deaconesses  and  deacons  were  ordained  in  the 
same  manner.  Their  work  may  be  briefly  described  as 
follows:  They  guarded  the  door  of  the  house  of  God; 
they  were  the  agents  in  the  dealings  of  the  bishop 
with  the  women  of  his  congregation;  they  directed  the 
latter  where  to  sit  in  church ;  they  prepared  female  cate- 
chumens   for   baptism;    they    assisted    at    baptism;    they 

*  "Apostolic  Constitutions"  is  tlie  title  of  a  work  which  appeared  in 
the  Greek  language  in  eight  volumes.  It  contained  the  rules  and  regu- 
lations of  the  Christian  Church.  The  book  dates  from  the  middle  of 
the  fourth,  or  possibly  the  beginning  of  the  fifth  century.  Its  value  to 
the  historian  is  incalcuable,  because  it  desci'ibes  the  institutions  and 
customs  of  the  Church  in  the  fourth  century.  It  throws  a  great  deal  of 
light  on  the  subject  under  discussion,— the  female  diaconate.  Nearly 
every  phase  of  this  question  is  touched  upon  in  the  "Apostolic  Con- 
stitutions." 


The  Female  Diaconate.  25 

nursed  the  sick,  visited  tlie  poor,  and  cared  for  widows 
and  orphans.  By  the  end  of  the  third  and  the  begin- 
ning of  the  fourth  century  we  find  that  the  Deaconess 
Work  was  in  a  most  flourishing  condition  in  the  Oriental 
Church.  Maidens  who  were  willing  to  forego  marriage, 
and  childless  widows  who  had  been  married  but  once 
and  who  bore  a  good  reputation,  were  chosen  for  this 
office.  In  one  isolated  case  history  shows  us  that  even 
married  women,  living  continently,  might  become  deacon- 
esses. The  names  of  a  number  of  deaconesses  have  come 
down  to  us,  who,  in  that  dark  period  of  defection  and 
secularization,  were  bright  stars  in  the  ecclesiastical  sky. 
In  the  fourth  century,  Constantinople  was  the  center 
of  political  and  ecclesiastical  life  in  the  Orient.  In  the 
year  398,  Chrysostom,  of  Antioch,  was  called  to  the 
Episcopacy  of  Constantinople.  Forty  deaconesses  were 
employed  in  his  congregation  alone,  of  whom  many  are 
known  to  us  by  name.  We  recall  Amprukla,  to  whom 
Chrysostom  wrote  a  number  of  letters  during  his  banish- 
ment; and  Pentadia,  the  widow  of  the  Consul  Timasius, 
who  displayed  such  great  courage  when  the  bishop  was 
carried  away;  and  Sabiniana,  who  voluntarily  followed 
and  served  the  bishop  during  banishment.  Olympia, 
born  of  a  noble  family,  deserves  more  than  a  passing 
mention.  As  a  deaconess  she  laid  not  only  her  youth 
and  personal  beauty,  but  her  gifts  and  education  as  well 
as  her  great  wealth,  on  the  altar  of  the  Church.  Of 
the  numerous  letters  which  Chryostom  wrote  to  Olympia 
during  his  banishment,  eighteen  are  still  in  existence. 
The  superscription  on  these  generally  reads,  "^'Eeverend 
and  pious  Deaconess  Olympia!''  He  often  speaks  of 
his  sufferings  and  privations,  but  he  also  speaks  of  the 
self-denying  devotion  and  great  faithfulness  of  his  friend 
Olympia.     His  language  is  figurative,  and  it  brings  out 


^6  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

the  charms  of  Olympia's  noble  character.  "It  is  not 
necessary/'  writes  Chrysostom,  "to  speak  of  your  alms, 
nor  of  the  diverse  and  unwearying  perseverance  which 
you  have  shown  in  the  severest  trials  and  persecutions. 
.  .  .  When  I.  remember  how  frail  you  are,  and  what 
a  delicate  nature  you  have  inherited,  and  how  you  have 
been  raised  in  luxury,  it  is  astonishing  how  you  have 
hardened,  yea,  deadened  your  flesh  through  hardships 
and  privations.  You  have  brought  such  a  host  of  sick- 
nesses upon  yourself  that  the  doctors  are  helpless  and 
medicines  have  no  more  effect  upon  you.  .  .  .  Your 
pains  are  countless.  ...  I  can  not  call  it  control, 
for  the  desires  of  the  flesh  are  dead.  You  eat  only 
so  much  as  is  necessary  to  prevent  starvation.  -  You 
have  accustomed  yourself  to  stay  awake  all  night.  Wak- 
ing is  natural  to  you  as  sleep  is  to  others.  ...  I 
admire  not  only  your  coarse  clothing,  in  which  respect 
you  surpass  every  beggar,  but  also  the  want  of  elegance 
and  the  negligence  with  which  you  wear  them.  It  is 
the  same  with  your  shoes  and  with  your  gait.  Therein 
one  recognizes  your  virtue.  ...  I  have  still  to  speak 
of  your  liberality  and  of  the  heroism  which  you  have 
shown  under  severe  persecution.'^ 

Here  we  have  the  description  of  a  deaconess  of  that 
day.  Her  opposition  to  the  luxury,  the  worldliness,  and 
the  pleasure-seeking  with  which  she  was  surrounded  were 
as  firm  and  immovable  as  the  rock  of  the  ocean.  Self- 
denial  and  abstinence  gave  her  a  deep  and  far-reaching 
influence.  At  the  same  time  we  notice  that  an  unevangel- 
ical,  ascetic  tendency  is  threatening  to  overshadow  the 
practical  work  of  Christian  love.  It  is  the  first  intima- 
tion of  the  deterioration  of  the  female  diaconate  into 
the  sanctimonious  austerity  of  convent  life.  The  office 
had  already  lost  some  of  its  purity. 


The  Female  Dtaconate.  27 

In  the  following  centuries,  as  the  order  of  nuns  be- 
came ^^rominent,  the  New  Testament  conception  of  the 
Deaconess  Work  became  obscnred.  It  was  buried  under 
false  doctrine  and  wrong  practice  while  the  light  of  the 
gospel  was  hid  under  a  bushel.  From  now  on,  more 
stress  w^as  laid  on  outward  works  of  piety  and  externals 
in  religion.  The  nuns  sought  a  higher  degree  of  salva- 
tion by  means  of  a  greater  degree  of  sanctity,  which 
they  hoped  to  attain  by  living  in  a  celibate  state.  In 
the  course  of  time  there  remained  very  little  power  of 
comprehension  for  that  freer  evangelical  spirit  of  the 
diaconate  as  it  had  developed  in  the  Apostolic  Church. 
The  nuns  locked  themselves  up  in  their  convents,  and 
if  one  of  them  left  the  convent  to  enter  the  married 
state  the  penalty  of  death  was  decreed  against  her.  The 
high  convent  walls  which  separated  her  from  her  fellow- 
mortals  symbolized  also  her  separation  from  the  prin- 
ciples of  free  grace.  The  original  calling  of  the\ 
deaconess  was  to  bring  light,  consolation,  and  joy  into 
the  suffering  of  every-day  life,  and  to  make  the  world 
acquainted  with  the  Savior.  But  the  order  of  nuns 
sought  sanctity  by  withdrawing  from  all  contact  with 
the  world.  Of  course^  this  was  not  the  spirit  of  Him 
who  came  "to  minister."  Had  the  Church  preserved 
her  evangelical  simplicity,  the  office  of  the  female 
diaconate  would  never  have  disappeared.  This  would 
have  been  an  indescribable  benefit  to  the  Church  and 
the  kingdom  of  God.  The  clergy,  which  was  in  favor 
of  monasticism,  naturally  advanced  the  interests  of  the 
order  of  nuns  and  secured  the  downfall  of  the  original 
apostolic  diaconate  of  Avonien.  The  word  "nun"  in  dis- 
tinction from  "deaconess"  shows  the  difference.  "Nun" 
is  of  Egyptian  origin,  and  signifies  a  virgin.  "Deaconess" 
is  a  servant;  that  is,  one  who  serves  suffering  humanity 


28  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

for  the  Lord's  sake.  The  whole  cloister  S3^stem  is  built 
up  on  false  principles,  and  is  therefore  unscriptural  and 
thoroughly  unevangelical.  Therefore  a  "nun"  has  noth- 
ing in  common  with  a  "deaconess."  Not  the  slightest 
relationship  exists  between  them.  Convents  are  houses 
whose  inhabitants  think  that  they  can  serve  God  better 
by  retirement  and  avoidance  of  the  world,  by  prayer  and 
meditation.  Deaconess  Homes  are  institutions  for 
women  and  maidens  M'ho  devote  their  time  and  strength, 
for  Jesus^  sake,  exclusively  to  the  poor  and  sick,  the  help- 
less and  the  children.  These  institutions  are  as  wide 
apart  in  principle  as  the  North  and  the  South  Pole,  and 
there  is  no  reason  to  fear  that  the  Deaconess  Work,  so 
long  as  it  is  conducted  on  a  Scriptural  basis,  will  de- 
cline into  monasticism.  The  vows  of  poverty,  chastity, 
and  obedience  under  which  nuns  live  rob  the  soul  of 
the  purest  and  most  exalted  motives  to  piety  and  be- 
nevolence. The  child  of  God  owes  obedience  to  Christ 
only,  and  if  God's  love  is  shed  abroad  in  his  heart 
through  the  Holy  Ghost,  sacrifice  becomes  easy  and  the 
motive  for  self-denial  pure.  The  nun  believes  that  she 
makes  the  sacrifice  when  she  takes  the  vows,  and  that 
she  can  keep  her  vows  only  through  constraint  and  years 
of  practice.  Through  constraint  and  bodily  exercise  she 
wishes  to  attain  a  higher  degree  of  happiness.  The 
method  here  employed  of  building  from  outward  to  in- 
ward piety  is  altogether  wrong.  Christianity  furnishes 
an  entirely  different  rule.  It  renew^s  the  heart  first,  and 
thus  lays  the  foundation  for  right  conduct.  When  the 
love  of  God  fills  the  heart,  it  is  easy  to  do  the  will  of 
God.  This  is  the  faith  which  worketh  by  love.  The 
nun  seeks  justification  by  works;  the  deaconess  performs 
works  from  love  for  the  Savior.  Therefore  it  is  evident 
that  the  institution  of  deaconesses  rests  on  a  different 


The  Female  Diaconate.  29 

basis,  and  that  the  office  of  the  female  diaconate  neces- 
sarily disappeared  when  these  Scriptural  principles  were 
neglected.  The  deaconess  took  no  vows.  The  nun  had 
to  take  the  vow  of  celibacy,  and  let  herself  be  buried 
alive  behind  the  walls  of  the  convent.  It  is  not  sur- 
prising, therefore,  that  the  Deaconess  Work  declined 
when  its  distinctive  principle  was  given  up. 

Pastor  Theodor  Schaefer,  in  his  book,  "Die  Weib- 
liche  Diakonie"  (Part  First),  speaking  of  the  downfall 
of  the  Deaconess  Cause,  says:  "One  chief  reason  for  the 
downfall  was  this,  that  a  change  had  come  over  the 
Church.  Among  the  civilized  nations  the  missionary 
period  was  past,  and  the  period  of  permanency  had  be- 
gun. Infant  baptism  was  customary,  and  adult  bap- 
tism seldom  occurred.  But  one  of  the  principal  duties 
of  deaconesses  had  been  to  assist  at  baptism.  Along 
with  this  came  the  removal  of  the  local  center  of  the 
Church  from  the  Orient  to  the  Occident.  Instead  of 
Constantinople,  Eome  became  the  center.  But  in  the 
Orient  the  social  condition  of  woman  had  favored  in  a 
great  degree  the  need  of  deaconesses  to  work  amongst 
the  women.  And,  lastly,  the  valuation  of  cloister  life 
increased  to  such  a  degree  as  not  only  to  threaten,  but 
in  many  instances  to  suppress,  the  true  evangelical  life. 
But  the  diaconate  can  thrive  in  the  pure  atmosphere  of 
evangelical  faith  only.  To  speak  of  an  inner  relation 
between  the  diaconate  and  Roman  orders  is  to  be  ig- 
norant of  history.  The  one  is  the  death  of  the  other. 
The  office  disappeared  more  and  more.  About  700  to 
800  A.  D.  it  had  entirely  disappeared  in  the  Occident. 
In  Constantinople  the  office  still  existed  about  1200 
A.  D.,  but  nowhere  else  in  the  Orient.  Thus  was  the 
ministry  of  evangelical  love  buried  by  the  gravediggers 
of  evangelical  faith.     This  ecclesiastically-regulated  min- 


30  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

istry  of  evangelical  love — a  love  which  serves  not  for 
wages  or  honor,  but  out  of  thankfulness  for  the  ex- 
perience of  God^s  mercy — can  not  flourish  except  where 
faith  is  vital,  and  where  the  inner  life  finds  expression 
in  the  primal  forms  of  Apostolic  Church  life/^ 

The  Eeformation  did  not  restore  the  female 
diaconate,  but  Luther  prepared  the  soil  for  its  reception. 
He  restored  evangelical  freedom  and  the  Bible,  he  tore 
down  the  bulwarks  of  self-righteousness,  and  brought 
the  doctrine  of  the  universal  priesthood  of  believers  to 
light  again.  By  doing  this  he  prepared  the  way  for 
the  free  exercise  of  evangelical  love,  and  especially  for 
the  New  Testament  office  of  deaconesses.  It  has  fre- 
quently been  asked  why  Luther  did  not,  instead  of 
abolishing  the  convents,  reform  them  and  change  them 
into  deaconess  houses.  Whoever  know^s  the  condition 
of  the  cloisters  at  that  time  knows  that  the  idea  of 
reform  was  inconceivable.  There  was  nothing  left  but 
to  discontinue  them.  Moreover,  one  ought  not  to  ex- 
pect too  much  of  the  Eeformers.  The  development  of 
God^s  kingdom  has  its  history.  It  has  its  consecutive 
steps,  and  there  must  necessarily  be  something  left  for 
the  future  to  do.  Luther  often  expressed  his  desire  that 
not  only  the  male  but  also  the  female  diaconate  might 
be  renewed  according  to  apostolic  models;  but  he  de- 
spaired of  the  possibility  of  so  renewing  them  because 
of  the  conditions  then  existing.  He  says,  "We  have  n't 
the  people,  and  I  am  afraid  to  begin  until  our  Lord  God 
makes  Christians.^'  Luther  recognized  the  importance 
of  the  women  in  the  Church.  He  knew  that  woman  is 
peculiarly  fitted  to  take  care  of  the  sick  body,  and  es- 
pecially to  guide  the  erring  soul.  He  says:  "The  in- 
clination to  show  kindness  to  others  is  more  natural 
to  women  than  to  men.     .     .     .     Those  women  who  love 


The  Female  Diaconate.  31 

God  truly  generally  have  especial  grace  to  comfort  others 
and  to  allay  their  pains."  In  his  comments  on  1  Pet. 
ii,  5,  he  says  amongst  other  things:  "Where  there  are 
no  men,  but  women  exclusively,  as  in  a  nun's  convent, 
there  one  would  have  to  put  up  a  woman  to  preach. 
This,  then,  is  the  right  priesthood,  which  consists  of 
three  things, — to  offer  spiritual  sacrifice,  and  to  preach, 
and  pray  for  the  congregation.  Whoever  can  do  that 
is  a  priest,  and  is  bound  to  preach  the  Word,  to  pray 
for  the  congregation,  and  to  sacrifice  himself  for  God.'' 
We  see,  then,  that  Luther  was  not  afraid  to  permit  the 
appointment  of  a  woman  to  preach  where  there  were 
only  women  to  listen,  in  view  of  the  universal  priest- 
hood of  believers  and  of  the  disposition,  gifts,  and  powers 
which  God  had  given  her.  In  the  year  1523  he  recom- 
mended the  parish  of  Leisnig,  Saxony,  to  employ  female 
teachers  in  their  girls'  schools,  and  Luther's  friend, 
Bugenhagen,  did  not  hesitate  to  incorporate  this  recom- 
mendation as  a  valid  order  into  the  rules  of  the  Church. 
History  further  teaches  that  women  and  maidens  were 
at  this  time  privately  employed  to  nurse  the  poor  and 
the  sick,  and  occasionally  a  woman  was  regularly  called 
to  this  office,  without  being  known,  however,  by  the  name 
of  deaconess.  In  the  Keppel  Nunnery,  at  Siegen,  deacon- 
esses were  employed  in  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury, and  these  were  regularly  ordained  to  the  office 
by  laying  on  of  hands  and  prayer.  We  find  the  begin- 
nings of  the  renewal  of  the  apostolic  office  of  deacon- 
esses on  the  Lower  Rhine  during  the  Ee formation,  in  the 
following  words,  taken  from  the  official  records:  "In 
places  where  circumstances  call  for  it,  we  believe  that 
even  aged  women,  of  proven  faith  and  honor,  may  be 
chosen  for  this  office,  according  to  the  example  of  the 
apostle." 


32  History  of.  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Even  in  the  Reforined  Church  we  find  institutions 
which  remind  us  of  the  female  diaconate  of  apostolic 
times.  The  General  Synod  of  the  Reformed  Church  of 
the  Lower  Rhine  and  the  Netherlands,  in  the  year  1568, 
announced  the  following  order:  "Especially  in  larger 
cities,  it  will  be  best  to  elect  two  classes  of  deacons,  of 
which  one  class  will  take  up  the  work  of  collecting  alms 
and  distributing  the  same,  and  the  other  shall  attend 
especially  to  the  sick.  We  also  deem  it  appropriate  that, 
in  these  places,  women  should  l)e  lawfully  chosen  for  this 
work."  Eleven  years  later  (1579)  the  following  was 
brought  before  the  Synod:  "An  inquiry  comes  from  the 
brethren  of  the  city  of  Wessel,  whether  it  would  not 
be  well  in  the  Churches  and  congregations,  wherever  it 
is  necessary  and  the  customs  allow,  especially  for  the 
sake  of  the  timid  women,  that  the  office  of  deaconesses 
should  be  again  instituted,  because  it  has  not  yet  been 
introduced  in  any  reformed  manner."  There  existed  at 
this  time  an  association  known  as  "The  Maidens  of 
Mercy."  The  duties  of  its  members  consisted  in  caring 
for  the  aged  and  poor  and  nursing  the  sick.  Similar 
institutions  to  those  of  Holland  are  also  found  in  Eng- 
land; and  these  remnants  suggested  to  Fliedner,  in  the 
third  decade  of  the  nineteenth  century,  the  thought  of 
renewing  the  apostolic  diaconate.  It  was  left  to  him  to 
resurrect  in  its  original  purity  the  office  of  the  female 
diaconate  which  had  been  instituted  in  apostolic  times. 


CHAPTEH  11. 

THE  RENEWAL  OF  THE  FEMALE  DIACONATE  IN 
MODERN  TIMES. 

The  first  efforts  to  introduce  the  female  diaconate, 
during  the  Reformation,  were  retarded  by  perplexing  cir- 
cumstances and  immense  difficulties  which  stood  in  the 
way  of  the  reformers.  In  fact,  they  never  got  beyond 
the  initial  stages,  and  even  these  beginnings  dwindled 
in  the  course  of  time,  so  that  at  last  there  were  only 
traces  left  to  remind  one  of  the  office  which  flourished 
so  happily  in  apostolic  times.  But  the  more  prevalent 
the  rigid  and  heartless  rationalism  of  the  latter  part  of 
the  eighteenth  and  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury became,  suppressing  all  the  affections  of  the  spirit- 
ual life  and  devastating,  the  Church,  the  more  clearly 
was  the  serious  gap  recognized  that  had  arisen  in  the 
sphere  of  Christian  benevolence.  When  subsequently 
new  life  appeared  and  the  pietistic  movement  became 
more  widespread,  there  was  no  lack  of  prominent  and 
consecrated  persons  who  sought  to  supply  this  need.  In 
this  they  were  very  much  helped  by  another  circum- 
stance. In  England,  and  especially  in  the  independent 
Churches  of  England,  a  remarkable  activity  appeared  in 
religious  work.  The  Church  circles  of  England  had  re- 
ceived a  powerful  impulse  from  Germany,  and  now  Eng- 
land returned  the  benefit  with  compound  interest. 
Boehme,  a  former  inspector  of  the  orphanages  of  Halle, 
was  called  in  the  year  1707  as  court  chaplain  to  Queen 
Anne  and  George  I  of  England.  He  translated  the 
writings  of  Francke,  Arndt's  "True  Christianity,''  and 
3  33 


34  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

other  German  works,  into  English,  and  these  books  were 
widely  circulated  in  England.  The  Moravians  also,  hav- 
ing established  a  number  of  Churches  in  England,  es- 
pecially in  London,  exerted  a  wide  influence.  John  and 
Charles  Wesley,  who  became  acquainted  with  Spangen- 
berg  and  other  Moravians  on  their  visit  to  America, 
received  very  important  light  from  them  on  the  Chris- 
tian life,  and  when  they  returned  to  London,  turning 
away  from  the  dead  State  Church,  they  sought  peace 
for  their  hearts  in  the  meetings  of  the  Moravian 
Brotherhood.  They  courted  the  society  of  Boehler,  a 
Moravian,  a  man  who  had  received  a  thorough  German 
University  education,  and  who  was  afterwards  made  a 
bishop  of  the  Brotherhood.  John  Wesley,  especially, 
entered  into  a  lasting  friendship  with  him.  In  Febru- 
ary, 1735,  he  wrote  in  his  diary:  "I  have  never  willingly 
neglected  an  opportunity  of  conversing  with  Boehler. 
.  .  .  With  the  help  of  God,  I  was  to-day  convicted 
of  my  unbelief  through  him;  for  he  clearly  proved  to 
me  that  I  do  not  possess  that  faith  by  which  alone  we 
are  saved."  Prepared  by  Boehler,  Wesley  found  "rest 
for  his  soul"  in  a  meeting  of  the  Moravians,  while 
Luther's  preface  to  the  Epistle  to  the  Eomans  was 
being  read.  He  translated  rnany  of  the  Moravian  books 
and  the  hymns  of  Zinzendorf  into  English.  He  even  paid 
a  visit  to  Herrnhut,  and  became  an  intimate  friend  of 
Zinzendorf.  A  prominent  divine  of  that  period  declared 
that  when  Wesley  appeared,  the  Anglican  Church  was 
an  ecclesiastical  system  under  which  the  people  of  Eng- 
land had  lapsed  into  heathenism,  or  a  state  hardly  to 
be  distinguished  from  it;  and  that  Methodism  preserved 
from  extinction  and  reanimated  the  languishing  Non- 
conformity of  the  last  century. 

Wesley   was   the   instrument,   in   the   hand   of    God, 


Female  Diaconate  in  Modern  Times.  35 

of  awakening  new  life  and  inaugurating  a  movement 
which  was  destined  to  open  entirely  new  fields  in  the 
sphere  of  Christian  benevolence.  He  has  been  called 
the  Father  of  Home  Missions  in  England.  It  was 
through  German  Christians  that  he  received  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth,  and  now  Germany  was  to  reap  the 
benefit  of  its  former  contributions  to  England.  Uhl- 
horn,  in  his  work,  "'Die  Christliche  Liebesthaetigkeit," 
page  706,  says:  "The  motive  power  for  the  revival  of 
practical  Christian  benevolence  (in  Germany)  was  to  be 
found  in  the  revival  of  faith;  and  this  was  stimulated 
largely  through  outside  influences,  chiefly  from  England. 
The  intercourse  between  the  pious  circles  of  Germany 
and  those  of  England  dates  as  far  back  as  the  older 
pietistic  movement.  ...  In  the  last  decades  of  the 
eighteenth  century  a  powerful  religious  movement  arose 
in  England,  for  which  Methodism  had  prepared  the  way, 
and  of  which  the  French  Revolution  and  its  propaganda 
furnished  the  inciting  cause.  It  aroused  not  only  the 
dissenting  groups  but  the  Established  Church  as  well. 
For  the  first  time  members  of  the  Anglican  Church, 
and  Dissenters  of  all  denominations,  including  even  the 
Quakers,  united  in  common  efforts,  for  the  promotion 
of  the  kingdom  of  God.  In  a  single  decade  some  of 
the  most  important  religious  societies  of  our  times  were 
organized  for  this  purpose, — in  1795,  the  London  Mis- 
sionary Society;  in  1799,  the  Tract  Society;  in  1804, 
the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society.  Soon  after 
these  societies  were  founded  their  influence  was  felt  in 
Germany.  As  early  as  1798  the  directors  of  the  Mis- 
sionary Society  appealed  to  the  Christians  of  Germany 
to  co-operate  with  them;  and  the  last  years  of  the 
closing  century  saw  the  beginning  of  this  work," 
Wichern  and  Fliedner  owe  the  inception  of  their  noble 


36  History  of  the  Deacoj^ess  Movement. 

Christian  benevolence  and  the  foundation  of  their  ex- 
tensive establishments  to  the  influence  of  England. 
"Keceiving  encouragment  from  Englanc","  Uhlhorn 
goes  on  to  say,  "Pastor  Eautenberg  opened  a  Sunday- 
school  in  Hamburg,  in  which  Wichern  also  took  part 
as  a  teacher.  The  Sunday-school  gave  rise  to  a  visiting 
club,  and  here  Wichern  gained  a  knowledge  of  the 
wretchedness  and  moral  degradation  to  be  found 
in  the  alleys  and  courts  of  the  great  commercial 
city.  On  the  other  hand,  it  brought  him  into 
touch  with  those  personages  who  aided  him  in  his 
vast  undertakings."  From  England  came  the  Bibles 
and  tracts  with  which  Germany  was  furuished,  and 
from  thence  came  also  a  large  part  of  the  money 
for  auxiliary  societies  and  benevolent  institutions. 
Steinkopf,  who  served  a  long  term  as  pastor  of 
the  German  Lutheran  Church  in  London,  and  who 
was  secretary  of  the  "Society  for  the  Promotion  of 
Christianity,"  became  through  his  personality  a  bond  of 
union  between  London  and  Basel  and  between  the 
awakened  circles  of  England  and  Germany.  He  it  was 
who  principally  solicited  considerable  financial  support 
from  wealthy  England  for  the  Christian  societies  and 
institutions  of  Germany;  and  thus  it  happened  that 
activity  along  these  lines  in  Germany  remained  for  a 
long  time  under  the  dominating  influence  of  England, 
which  certainly  was  not  a  disadvantage.  The  Basel 
Missionary  Society,  organized  in  1816,  and  originally 
well  supported  by  English  means,  became  a  pattern  for 
the  institution  in  Beugen.  The  latter  undertook  to  do 
the  work  at  home  which  the  former  was  aiming  to  do 
in  heathen  lands.  The  Tract  Societies  of  Wupperthal, 
Berlin,  and  Lower  Saxony  were  originated  in  England, 
and  for  a  long  time  received  much  of  their  financial 


Female  Diacoxate  tx  Modern  Times.  o7 

support  from  thence.  These  few  examples  show  what 
part  England  took  in  the  revival  of  practical  Christian- 
ity in  Germany  at  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  and  the 
beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

Yet  another  circumstance  was  very  helpful  in  the 
organization  and  spread  of  the  Deaconess  Work.  Dur- 
ing the  wars  a  number  of  women's  societies  had  been 
called  into  being  for  the  amelioration  of  suffering. 
They  took  charge  of  the  wounded,  sent  provisions  to 
the  soldiers,  cared  for  the  destitute,  especially  for  the 
widows  and  orphans  of  fallen  soldiers.  When  the  war 
was  over,  these  societies  continued  in  existence  as 
caretakers  of  the  sick,  the  poor,  and  of  lying-in  women. 
Through  these  means  the  idea  suggested  itself  to  such 
distinguished  persons  as  Minister  Von  Stein  and 
Amelia  Sieveking  to  organize  a  Sisterhood  in  the 
Protestant  Church  similar  to  that  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  They  adopted  the  pattern  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  institutions,  and  attempted  to  cultivate  a 
like  plant  on  Protestant  soil.  But  Divine  Providence 
prevented  the  realization  of  their  plans.  The  future 
Minister  E.  Von  Bodelschwingh  at  one  time  paid  a  visit 
to  Von  Stein.  The  latter  spoke  enthusiastically  of  his 
favorite  plan  of  making  the  numerous  women's  societies 
then  existing  a  nucleus  for  the  organization  of  a  Sis- 
terhood of  Mercy  in  the  Protestant  Church.  Mr.  Von 
Bodelschwingh  imparted  this  conversation  to  Amelia 
Sieveking,  and  she  immediately  wrote  to  the  minister 
and  laid  her  own  plans  for  such  an  organization  before 
him.  Although  Amelia  Sieveking's  plans  were  never 
carried  out,  yet  she  is  to  be  honored  as  a  pioneer  in 
the  great  Deaconess  Movement  of  modern  times.  It  is 
therefore  proper  that  we  take  a  brief  glance  at  her 
character  and  career. 


38 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


Amelia  Sieveking  came  from  an  honorable  family 
which  had  its  home  in  Westphalia.  Among  her  ances- 
tors were  several  celebrated  Lutheran  divines  in  the 
sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries.  Her  grandfather 
took  up  his  residence  as  a  merchant  in  Hamburg  and 

soon  gained  the  respect 
of  his  fellow-citizens.  He 
is  the  ancestor  of  the  three 
branches  of  this  family 
which  has  up  to  recent 
times  brought  forth  a  long 
list  of  highly-honored 
names.  A  number  of  ex- 
cellent men  out  of  this 
family  have  been  employed 
in  the  state  affairs  of 
Hamburg.  The  syndic, 
Karl  Sieveking,  was  a 
faithful  friend  and  adviser 
of  W  i  c  h  e  r  n.  Amelia^s 
father,  Henry  Christian  Sieveking,  was  in  later  years 
a  senator  of  Hamburg.  Her  mother,  Caroline  Louise 
(nee  Volkmann),  died  when  "Malchen" — for  thus 
she  was  known  all  through  life,  and  thus  she  is 
called  in  that  interesting  book,  ^'Denkwlirdigkeiten 
aus  dem  Leben  Amalie  Sievekings" — was  in  her  fifth 
year,  Amelia  was  born  on  the  twenty-eighth  of  July, 
1794.  In  her  fifteenth  year  she  also  lost  her  father, 
who  died  without  leaving  anything  to  his  children. 
They  were  consequently  separated.  Amelia,  with  her 
governess,  went  to  Miss  Timbel,  a  sister-in-law  of 
Klopstock;  but  later  she  found  a  home  with  a  relative, 
the  widow  Brunnemann.  She  possessed  a  remarkable 
talent  for  teaching,  which  was   developed  early  in  life 


Amelia  Sieveking. 


Female  Diaconate  in  Modern  Times.  39 

in  teaching  a  girls'  class.  Thus  she  was  providentially 
led  to  a  career  in  which  God  gave  her  extraordinary 
success  and  delight.  Her  great  diligence,  good  sense, 
deep  fervor,  and  conscientiousness,  were  qualities  which 
made  her  a  superior  teacher.  But  her  heart  was  still 
empty  and  desolate.  She  had  received  her  religious  in- 
struction from  a  rationalistic  divine,  and  it  left  her  with 
a  distressing  sense  of  spiritual  want.  The  death  of  her 
brother  Gustav,  a  young  theologian,  with  whom  she  had 
stood  in  the  most  affectionate  and  confidential  relations, 
made  a  deep  and  lasting  impression  on  her  mind.  This 
was  the  turning  point  of  her  inner  life.  There  was 
a  void  in  her  heart  which  must  be  filled,  and  while 
she  was  seeking  for  a  sure  foundation,  Thomas  a 
Kempis's  "Imitation  of  Christ^^  came  into  her  hands. 
This  book  and  Francke's  "Directions  for  Reading  the 
Bible"  proved  a  great  blessing  to  her.  But  at  last  she 
laid  all  books  away,  and  turned  to  the  Bible  only. 
After  long  seeking  and  searching,  with  much  fasting  and 
prayer,  she  found  the  pearl  of  great  price.  Hers  was 
a  secret,  severe  struggle,  but  at  last  she  received  the  wit- 
ness that  she  had  obtained  mercy  and  was  happy  in  the 
sense  of  her  adoption  as  a  child  of  God.  From  now 
on  she  used  every  opportunity  of  freely  and  openly 
speaking  for  the  Savior;  and  what  a  blessing  her  tes- 
timony was  for  others  is  shown  in  the  biography  of 
the  wife  of  Pastor  Fliedner,  the  deaconess-mother  of 
Kaiserswerth,  who  in  her  youth  was  one  of  Amelia's  best 
pupils.  Her  acquaintance  with  the  devout  Johannes 
Gossner,  whom  she  often  visited,  and  with  whom  she 
kept  up  a  lively  correspondence,  was  instrumental  in 
leading  her  into  deeper  religious  experience.  Her  child- 
like faith  incited  her  to  deeds  of  Christian  love.  She 
thought   to    strengthen    and    promote    her   new    spiritual 


40  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

life  by  organizing  the  Sisterhood  of  Mercy.  At  the 
same  time  such  an  organization  appeared  to  her  to 
supply  a  suitable  calling  for  that  class  of  single  women 
who  had  no  domestic  duties  and  who  spent  their  time 
in  an  unprofitable  manner.  Detailed  plans  for  this 
work  she  laid  before  Minister  Yon  Stein  and  her 
friend  Johannes  Gossner.  Both  gave  their  assent,  but 
the  latter  advised  her  to  wait  until  God  opened  the 
way  more   clearly. 

At  last,  in  1831,  the  time  for  action  seemed  to  have 
come.  The  cholera  had  broken  out  in  Hamburg,  and 
since  extraordinary  events  generally  call  for  the  in- 
auguration of  extraordinary  movements,  she  concluded 
that  the  time  had  now  come  for  her  to  act.  She  oifered 
her  services  as  nurse  in  the  cholera  barracks,  and  issued 
a  call  to  her  fellow  Sisters  to  join  with  her  in  this  labor 
of  love,  but  no  one  answered.  This  was  a  bitter  disap- 
pointment. Nevertheless  she  was  not  to  be  discouraged, 
and  notwithstanding  the  physicians  at  first  thought  her 
a  religious  enthusiast,  she  soon  so  thoroughly  gained 
their  confidence  by  her  tact  and  perfect  devotion  to  her 
difficult  duties  that  they  placed  her  in  charge  of  all  the 
assistants.  When  she  left  the  hospital  after  the  plague 
was  driven  out  she  was  the  object  of  general  admiration. 
But  she  was  also  wiser  by  one  experience,  and  gave 
up  her  plan  of  organizing  a  Sisterhood  of  Mercy. 
Instead,  in  the  year  1833,  she  organized  a  society  for 
the  care  of  the  poor  and  sick.  On  this  she  now  con- 
centrated all  her  efforts.  Her  name  was  soon  known 
beyond  the  borders  of  her  Fatherland,  and  will  go  down 
in  history  along  with  the  names  of  Elizabeth  Fry, 
Florence  Nightingale,  Theodore  Fliedner^  John  Wichern, 
and  other  prominent  philanthropists.  The  establish- 
ment and  promotion  of  such  societies  in  the  old  Father- 


Female  Diaconate  in  Modern  Times.  41 

land  became  her  life-work,  for  which  she  rejected  a 
call  to  become  the  directress  of  the  newly-established 
Deaconess  Home  in  Kaiserswerth,  refused  an  invitation 
to  take  charge  of  the  public  hospital  in  Hamburg,  and 
declined  the  urgent  request  of  Frederick  William  lY  to 
accept  the  post  of  directress  of  the  Bethany  Deaconess 
Hospital  in  Berlin.  She  founded  a  colony  for  the  poor, 
consisting  of  three  stately  buildings,  in  which  about 
sixty  families  find  a  healthy  and  inexpensive  home,  and 
which  is  known  as  the  "Amalienstift."  In  the  suburb 
of  St.  George  she  erected  a  Children's  Hospital  with 
thirty  beds;  and  the  number  of  her  assistants  soon  in- 
creased to  eighty.  Her  extensive  labors  of  love  led  to 
a  personal  friendship  between  her  and  the  noble  Queen 
Elizabeth  of  Prussia;  and  she  stood  on  intimate  terms 
with  Quoen  Anna  of  Denmark.  But  the  favor  of  the 
great;  never  caused  her  for  a  moment  to  forget  her  mis- 
sion to  the  poor  and  lowly.  Even  in  later  years  she 
would  walk  through  the  streets  of  Hamburg,  carrying 
a  heavy  basket  filled  with  books  and  eatables,  scarcely 
allowing  herself  time  to  eat.  Her  unceasing  activity 
during  all  the  hours  of  the  day,  as  well  as  her  sim- 
plicity, her  moderation,  and  her  indefatigable  zeal,  won 
for  her  the  highest  admiration.  Hers  was  a  simple, 
energetic,  sensible,  warm  nature.  She  was  an  earnest 
Christian,  who  had  a  childlike  faith  in  her  Savior.  She 
paved  the  way,  so  far  as  the  times  and  circumstances 
permitted,  for  women's  work  in  this  branch  of  service. 
Her  crowning  merit  consists  in  having  induced  women 
to  devote  their  gifts  and  energies  to  the  service  of  suf- 
fering humanity,  who  did  not  feel  called  to  offer  them- 
selves exclusively  to  the  Deaconess  Work.  She  called 
it  the  great  object  of  her  life  to  lift  up  her  sex  to  a 
higher   plane   of   activity,   to   more   effective   efforts  for 


42  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

the  advancement  of  God's  kingdom,  and  to  a  life  of 
greater  usefulness  among  all  classes  of  society.  She 
believed  in  the  power  of  women,  and  wanted  to  show 
how  it  should  be  made  eilicient  in  all  spheres  of 
activity.  Wichern  came  over  from  Berlin  to  Hamburg, 
in  1857,  when  she  celebrated  the  twenty-fifth  anniver- 
sary of  her  Society.  But  her  life  lasted  only  two  more 
years,  and  on  the  first  of  April,  1859,  she  was  called 
to  the  rest  of  God's  people;  but  her  work  still  lives, 
and  the  societies  organized  by  her  still  flourish,  although 
it  has  been  necessary  to  adapt  the  organization  to  the 
varying  conditions  of  the  times.  Although  her  original 
idea  of  organizing  an  evangelical  Sisterhood  on  the  pat- 
tern of  the  Catholic  Sisters  proved  impracticable,  she  de- 
serves credit,  nevertheless,  as  a  pioneer  of  the  female 
diaconate  of  modern  times. 

Contemporaneously  with  these  events  God  awakened 
men  who,  taking  the  diaconate  of  the  Apostolic  Church 
as  their  pattern,  sought  to  meet  the  deeply-felt  need  of 
their  times  by  organizing  an  institution  in  the  Protes- 
tant Church  which,  far  from  being  an  imitation  of 
Catholic  institutions,  was  to  be  built  up  on  the  foun- 
dation of  the  Eeformation,  according  to  apostolic 
models.  The  popular  pastor,  Kloenne  (born  at  Wessel 
on  the  3d  of  April,  1795),  stands  first  in  this  con- 
nection. The  beneficial  activity  of  the  women's  socie- 
ties during  the  wars  encouraged  him  to  write  an  article 
for  the  press  on  "The  Eevival  of  the  Ancient  Christian 
Deaconesses  in  our  Women's  Societies."  In  this  article 
he  bewails  the  afflictions  of  the  times  and  calls  upon 
Christian  women  to  engage  in  Christian  benevolence  in 
a  systematic  way  after  the  example  of  the  Apostolic 
Church.  The  diaconate  of  the  primitive  Christian 
Church  was  his  model,  and  he  fervently  sought  to  revive 


Female  Diaconate  in  Modern  Times. 


43 


the  New  Testament  office  of  deaconesses.  He  sent  this 
article  to  the  minister,  Baron  Von  Altenstein  (1820), 
and  also  to  the  Princess  Marianne,  of  Prussia,  who  had 
proven  herself  a  faithful  friend  of  the  suffering  during 
the  wars.  He  succeeded  in  interesting  both  persons  in 
his  plans,  but  unhappil}^  nothing-  ever  came  of  it. 
Nevertheless    Pastor  ^^^^ 

Kloenne  continued 
untiringly  to  plead  in 
favor  of  his  great  idea, 
appealing  to  many  dif- 
ferent persons.  But 
before  anything  tan- 
gible was  reached  he 
died  (1834),  not  witli- 
0  u  t  the  assurance, 
however,  that  others 
would  realize  his  cher- 
ished plans. 

Simultaneously 
with  Pastor  Kloenne, 
Count  Adelbert  of 
R  e  c  k  e  -  Vollmerstein, 
who  afterwards  founded  the  Eescue  House  of  Duessel- 
thal,  near  Duesseldorf,  and  early  in  the  sixties  estab- 
lished the  Deaconess  Mother  House  in  Craschnitz,  strove 
for  the  same  ol)ject.  In  18,'^5,  he  published  a  periodical 
entitled  "The  Deaconess ;  or.  Life  and  Work  of  the  Female 
Servants  of  the  Church  for  Doctrine,  Education,  and 
Nursing.^^  In  this  he  refers  to  the  diaconate  of  the  Apos- 
tolic Church,  and  in  the  most  impressive  manner  urges 
that  it  be  renewed.  "Twenty  years  ago''  (1815),  he  says, 
"I  felt  the  need  of  deaconesses  in  our  Church,  and  spoke 
of  it  frequently."     At  the  same  time  he  declared  that 


Count  Adei^bert  of  Recke- 
Vollmerstein. 


44  History  of  the  Deacoxess  Movement. 

it  was  his  object  to  create  a  Deaconess  House  in  Duessei- 
thal.  This  was  in  the  year  1835.  The  Crown  Prince 
Frederick  William,  of  Prussia,  to  whom  he  had  sent  his 
writings,  wrote  him  a  letter,  dated  November  6,  1835, 
in  which  he  says:  "Your  thoughts  on  the  revival  of  the 
order  of  deaconesses  in  our  Church  have  filled  me  with 
exultation.  For  many  years  this  revival  has  been  an 
object  for  which  I  have  longed,  as  one  of  many  things 
which  our  Church  truly  needs.  ...  I  thoroughly 
share  ihe  opinion  that  this  office  should  be  formally 
acknowledged  as  a  Church  office.  But  to  this  object  the 
Church,  as  such,  must  give  its  recognition,  and  from 
the  Church  this  order  of  woman-helpers  must  receive 
its  sanction.^^  It  is  evident  that  in  every  circle  there 
were  those  who  planned,  discussed  methods,  and  longed 
for  a  revival  of  the  female  diaconate.  Singularly,  how- 
ever, it  was  neither  brought  about  by  the  State  or  Church 
authorities,  nor  through  a  higher  mandate,  nor  a  reso- 
lution of  the  Consistory,  but  through  a  simple  country 
parson.  God  himself  had  chosen  the  instrument,  and 
prepared  him  through  various  experiences  and  many 
trials.  Here,  too,  that  principle  of  the  kingdom  of  God 
was  to  be  applied:  "God  hath  chosen  the  weak  things, 
and  things  which  are  not,  that  no  flesh  rdiould  glory  in 
his  presence.'^ 

Pastor  Theodore  Fliedner  was  God's  cliosen  instru- 
ment for  the  founding  of  a  great  work.  The  beginning 
was  small  and  modest;  but  as  everything  in  the  king- 
dom of  God  begins  as  a  mustard-seed,  so  the  female 
diaconate  was  to  grow  from  a  tiny  twig  to  a  great  tree, 
destined  in  a  short  time  to  spread  its  branches  over 
five  continents.  Fliedner's  whole  personality  was  im- 
portant  for   the   development    of    the    Deaconess    Work. 


Female  Diacoxate  ix  Moderx  Times.  45 

T^o  doubt  that  is  the  reason  why  the  work  still  exists 
in  much  the  same  form  in  which  Fliedner  molded  it; 
and  it  may  well  be  said  that  the  blessings  which  it  has 
distributed  are  due  largely  to  the  fact  that  Fliedner, 
with  rare  good  sense  and  far-sightedness,  laid  a  broad 
and  safe  foundation  for  this  movement.  He  possessed 
a  thorough  religious  experience,  and  "his  plans  took 
shape  under  the  impulse  of  the  revival  spirit."  He  took 
up  the  popular  theme  among  the  awakened  circles  of 
his  time,  and  gave  it  form  and  substance;  his  sober 
sense,  keen  intellect,  and  a  heart  enlightened  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  guided  him  in  the  right  way.  His  immov- 
able faith  urged  him  on  to  action.  He  had  given  him- 
self wholly  to  the  service  of  the  Savior,  and  was  now 
ready  to  follow  implicitly  the  leadings  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence in  great  things  as  well  as  in  small.  The  main 
conception  he  derived  from  the  Scriptures,  but  he 
adapted  it  to  the  needs  of  the  times,  and  sought  the 
necessary  enlightenment,  day  by  day,  on  his  knees  in 
the  closet.  He  realized  that  if  the  calling  of  deacon- 
esses was  necessary  as  an  apostolic  institution  in  the 
primitive  Christian  Church,  it  certainly  belongs  to  the 
order  of  things  now.  He  therefore  provided  for  the 
systematic  education  of  the  Sisters,  and  demanded  that 
when  a  Sister  has  given  her  youth  and  strength  to  the 
service  of  the  Church,  sure  and  adequate  provision 
should  be  made  against  the  days  of  sickness  and  in- 
creasing age.  But  this  could  be  best  accomplished  if 
they  lived  together  in  a  community;  and  thus  the  idea 
of  the  Mother  House  arose.  Like  many  others  before 
him,  Fliedner  desired  to  utilize  the  buried  talents  of 
womanhood,  and  in  carrying  out  this  idea  he  became  a 
pioneer  in  many  fields  of  home  missionary  work. 


46  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Theodore  Fliedner's  cradle  stood  in  the  romantic 
village  of  Eppenstein,  in  the  Tauniis.  He  was  the  fourth 
of  twelve  children  in  a  clergyman's  family,  and  was  born 
on  the  21st  of  January,  1800.  It  seemed  to  his  father 
that  the  timid,  diffident  Theodore  Avas  far  behind  his 
brothers  in  natural  gifts;  but,  contrary  to  all  expecta- 
tion, the  lad  developed  such  astonishing  diligence  and 
such  brilliant  intellectual  capacity  that  he  was  able  when 
only  twelve  years  old  to  read  and  understand  Homer. 
In  the  year  1813,  during  the  terrors  of  the  war,  his 
father  died  of  typhoid  fever,  and  the  widow,  with  twelve 
unprovided  children,  was  left  behind.  In  the  follow- 
ing year  (1814)  Theodore  and  his  elder  brother  attended 
the  Gymnasium  at  Idstein,  where  they  were  given  free 
lodging;  but  in  every  other  respect  they  had  to  con- 
tend with  the  most  distressing  poverty.  Three  years 
later  (1817)  Theodore  entered  the  University  of  Giesen, 
and  later  that  of  Goettingen,  and  in  1820  he  passed  a 
good  examination  at  Wiesbaden.  He  Avas  first  engaged 
as  a  private  instructor  in  a  wealthy  merchant's  family 
in  Cologne.  A  year  and  a  half  later  he  was  called  to 
the  small  congregation  at  Kaiserswerth,  upon  the  duties 
of  which  he  entered  on  the  18th  of  January,  1823.  There 
were  very  few  Protestants  in  the  town.  The  congre- 
gation of  our  young  preacher  was  correspondingly  small 
and  poor;  this  proved  a  double  hardship,  for  five  weeks 
after  the  installation  of  the  new  pastor  the  very  exist- 
ence of  the  congregation  was  threatened  by  the  bank- 
ruptcy of  silk  factories  in  Kaiserswerth,  and  the  Gov- 
ernment resolved  to  close  the  church,  which  could  noi 
pay  a  debt  of  $500  still  resting  on  it.  Quickly  resolved, 
Fliedner  started  out  on  a  collecting  tour,  during  which 
he  received  in  Holland  $5,000,  and  in  London  $3,500, 
returning  to  Kaiserswerth  in  1824  with  $9,000,     Ho  had 


Female  Diaconate  in  Modern  Times.  47 

secured  enough  to  pay  off  the  debt  and  to  invest  a  fund 
for  the  future  security  of  the  Church.  But  the  chief 
importance  of  this  journey  was  not  in  its  financial  suc- 
cess, but  in  the  observations  which  he  made  in  Holland 
and  England. 

In  speaking  of  this  he  says:  "In  both  of  these 
evangelical  countries  (England  and  Holland)  I  observed 
a  number  of  benevolent  institutions  for  the  cure  of  body 
and  soul, — schools  and  educational  institutions,  asylums 
for  the  poor,  the  orphans,  and  the  sick,  prisons  and  so- 
cieties for  the  improvement  of  prisoners,  Bible  societies, 
missionary  societies,  etc.;  and  I  also  observed  that  all 
these  institutions  and  societies  were  called  into  existence 
and  sustained  by  a  living  faith  in  Christ.  These  ob- 
servations on  the  fruitfulness  and  benevolent  power  of 
faith  were  very  potent  in  strengthening  my  own  faith, 
which  was  very  weak  as  yet.  I  was  especially  impressed 
by  the  majestic  activity  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society,  which  labors  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  of 
the  British  Prison  Society,  into  whose  labors  and  suc- 
cesses I  gained  an  insight  through  the  Rev.  Dr.  Stein- 
kopf,  of  London,  and  his  friends." 

The  important  knowledge  thus  acquired  he  soon  put 
to  use.  His  pastoral  duties  being  comparatively  light, 
he  had  considerable  time  at  his  disposal,  and  first 
directed  his  attention  to  the  prison  in  Duesseldorf.  In 
order  thoroughly  to  understand  the  condition  of  the 
prisoners  he  proposed  to  be  imprisoned  with  them  for 
four  weeks;  but  this  was  not  permitted.  He  was  per- 
mitted to  preach  to  the  prisoners  every  second  week, 
and  he  regularly  availed  himself  of  this  permission  from 
October  9,  1825,  to  the  year  1828.  The  future  of  dis- 
charged prisoners  gave  him  much  concern.  In  order  to 
restore  them  to  usefulness  in  society  he  decided  to  found 


48 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


an  asylum  for  this  class.  Lacking  the  means  for  a 
honse,  he  utilized  his  garden-house  for  this  purpose,  a 
building  twelve  feet  square  (see  page  59),  in  which  the 
first  discharged  convict  found  refuge.  Through  tlie 
"Ehenish-Westphalian  Prison  Society,"  which  he  organ- 
ized, better  conditions  were  brought  about  in  the  prisons 
themselves;  and  when  once  the  interest  in  the  prison- 
ers was  awakened 
it  soon  became  pos- 
sible to  secure  a 
house  of  shelter 
for  discharged 
prisoners.  Up  to 
the  present  time, 
more  than  nine 
hundred  discharged 
prisoners  have 
been  taken  care  of 
in  this  branch  in- 
stitution at  Kai- 
serswerth. 

Fliedner^s  chief 
aim  was  the  re-es- 
tablishment of  the 
diaconate,  and  on 
April  20,  1836,  he 
bought  a  large  house  in  the  center  of  the  town  of  Kaisers- 
werth  for  two  thousand  and  three  hundred  dollars.  Of 
this  sum  Sophie  Weiring  loaned  him  eighteen  hundred 
dollars,  and  other  benevolent  friends  five  hundred  dol- 
lars, without  interest.  The  financial  depression  was  gen- 
eral, and  the  house  was  very  poorly  furnished;  but  it  was 
still  more  difficult  to  obtain  Sisters  for  the  Deaconess 
House.     The  first  Deaconess  House  was  opened  October 


Gertbtjde  Reiohabd, 
The  First  Deaconess  in  Europe. 


Female  Diacoxate  ix  Moderx  Times. 


49 


13,  1836.     The  first  patient,  a  servant  girl,  was  received 

October  16th,  and  the  first  deaconess,  Gertrude  Reichard, 

daughter    of    a 

ph3'sician,      o  n 

October  20th. 

She    was    soon 

followed  by 

others. 

F  1  i  e  d  n  e  r 
found  a  great 
helper  in  his 
wife.  He  says 
of  her':  "In 
my  first  wife, 
Friederika 
]\Iuenster,  who 
was  taken  from 
m  e  i  n  April, 
1842,  the  Lord 
had  given  me  a 
faithful  helper 
in  this  labor  of 
love,  and  espe- 
cially for  the 
care    of    the 

prisoners.  After  having  gratuitously  served  in  the 
Rescue  House  at  Duesseldorf,  for  several  years,  as  as- 
sistant in  taking  care  of  neglected  children,  she  was 
about  to  devote  herself  to  the  care  of  the  prisoners  in 
the  prison  of  Duesseldorf,  when  the  Lord  led  her  to 
me  (1828)."  Standing  in  the  midst  of  the  harvest- 
field,  this  successful  worker  laid  down  her  sickle 
all  too  soon,  and  entered  into  rest.  This  was  a  hard 
blow  for  Fliedner.     But  he  found  another  faithful  com- 


Carolixe  Bertheatt-Fliedner. 


50  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

panion  in  Caroline  Bertheau,  of  Hamburg.  She  had 
been  a  pupil  of  Amelia  Sieveking,  and  had  served  for 
three  years  as  an  overseer  in  the  great  hospital  of  Ham- 
burg. She  now  undertook,  following  in  the  footsteps  of 
her  predecessor,  the  superintendency  of  the  Deaconess 
House  at  Kaisersv/erth.  For  forty  years  she  continued 
in  this  office  (1843-1883),  even  after  the  death  of  her 
husband  showing  rare  good  judgment,  and  her  influence 
has  been  strongly  felt  in  the  development  of  the  various 
institutions  of  Kaiserswerth. 

It  is  but  fair,  after  this  historical  review,  to  cast  a 
glance  at  Fliedner's  great  personality.  His  whole  life 
was  a  school  in  which  his  naturally  strong  will-power 
had  ample  opportunity  to  assert  itself. 

The  distressing  conditions  of  his  youth  through  which 
he  successfully  struggled,  the  difficulties  which  met  him 
in  his  pastorate  and  followed  him  through  life,  the 
slanders  to  which  he  was  exposed,  the  constant  miscon- 
struction of  his  motives  and  purposes,  show  us  how 
severe  the  trials  were  through  which  he  passed.  But 
nothing  was  able  to  quench  his  spirit  or  hinder  him.  He 
welcomed  difficulties  as  ordained  for  our  discipline.  They 
were  sent  to  be  overcome,  and  so  they  steeled  his  powers 
and  winged  his  steps  in  striving  for  the  goal.  With 
innate  power  he  combined  a  clear  insight  into  current 
conditions,  and  a  shrewd  sagacity  for  future  contin- 
gencies, which  helped  him  to  choose  the  right  methods 
and  reach  the  desired  object.  He  never  groped  in  the 
dark;  his  steps  were  sure  because  he  sought  clearness  of 
vision  in  the  closet  and  power  in  prayer.  He  never  re- 
treated, the  timidity  of  others  never  deterred  him,  and 
all  prophecies  of  ill,  whether  from  friend  or  foe,  could 
not  affright  him.  They  struck  the  rock  of  his  con- 
victions but  to  rebound  and  fall  back  like  impotent  waves 


Female  Diaconate  in  Modern  Times.  51 

of  the  sea.  Countess  Spee  predicted  that  the  inmates 
of  his  asyhim  would  at  hest  remain  but  a  month.  The 
mayor  would  not  at  first  enroll  the  names  of  the  pro- 
bationers because  they  would  soon  run  away  anyhow.  The 
physician  agitated  against  the  erection  of  the  hospital 
because  the  atmosphere  of  the  town  might  become  in- 
fected. Two  councilmen,  the  mouthpieces  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  zealots,  urged  him  to  give  up  his  plans  because 
the  whole  town  was  opposed  to  him,  and  complaint  would 
be  brought  against  him  before  the  Government.  He  was 
subjected  to  petty  annoyances  by  his  landlord,  and  oppo- 
sition came  from  all  quarters;  but  all  these  assaults  were 
shattered  upon  the  impregnable  rock  of  Fliedner's  trust 
in  God  and  his  assurance  of  ultimate  victory.  To  the 
human  eye  his  work  seemed  visionary,  but  he  knew  that 
it  was  founded  on  God's  Word,  and  that  it  would  stand 
the  test.  Fliedner  remained  faithful  to  his  cause,  to 
his  principles,  and  to  the  place  where  he  had  begun  his 
work  and  where  God  had  placed  and  so  signally  blessed 
him.  Even  when  King  Frederick  William  IV  sought  to 
draw  him  to  Berlin,  he  declined  modestly  but  firmly,  and 
pursued  the  chosen  path  that  Providence  had  marked 
out  for  him  vigorously  and  steadily  to  the  end.  He  had 
long  tried  to  interest  others  in  his  work;  but  when  no 
one  was  willing  to  help  him,  he  said,  "I  perceive  that 
God  wants  to  lay  this  burden  on  my  shoulders,  and  I  am 
ready  for  it.'' 

Fliedner  has  been  compared  with  Wichern  and  Loehe. 
These  three  men  moved  in  the  same  sphere,  and  a  com- 
parison is  not  without  interest.  Wichern  and  Loehe  were 
certainly  more  highly  gifted  than  Fliedner,  whose  gifts 
were  of  a  narrower  kind;  but  he  was  eminently  adapted 
for  his  special  calling,  and  therefore  he  had  greater  suc- 
cess in  this  field  than  the  others  could  have  had.    Both 


52  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Wichern  and  Loehe  produced  deep  and  glorious  thoughts 
from  well-stored  minds;  their  writings  should  continue 
to  live  and  incite  others  to  fresh  studies  of  the  subject; 
but  Fliedner's  thoughts  were  simpler,  and  therefore  more 
practical  and  productive  in  every-day  life.  Wichern  and 
Loehe  were  men  of  inflexible  will-power  and  indefatigable 
industry;  but  Fliedner  was  their  equal  in  this  respect. 
He  subordinated  all  his  powers  to  a  strong  will,  and 
placed  these  completely  in  the  service  of  achievement. 
Fliedner  was  not  a  brilliant  speaker,  and  yet  he  preached 
a  great  deal  and  delivered  many  addresses,  and  the  peo- 
ple heard  him  gladly.  His  words  came  from  the  heart, 
and  therefore  reached  the  heart.  He  was.  not  considered 
a  poet,  but  he  made  verses,  and  the  few  hymns  from  his 
pen  will  be  sung  by  deaconesses,  and  will  be  an  inspira- 
tion as  far  as  the  German  tongue  is  heard.  Fliedner 
was  not,  in  the  modern  sense,  a  learned  man,  yet  he 
was  a  man  of  varied  mental  acquirements,  who  knew 
how  to  apply  what  he  had  seen  and  experienced  in  prac- 
tical life.  His  force  lay  chiefly  in  his  activity.  In  the 
sphere  of  practical  life  he  accomplished  the  extraordinary 
and  incredible,  and  he  also  possessed  the  gift  and  ability 
of  putting  others  to  work  in  the  service  of  the  king- 
dom of  God,  and  of  training  them  for  the  work  to 
which  God  had  called  him.  Excellent  and  eminent  peo- 
ple had  for  a  number  of  decades  dreamed  about  the  re- 
newal of  the  diaconate;  they  had  spoken  about  it,  and 
had  drawn  up  rules  and  regulations  for  it.  Fliedner 
achieved  it  so  that  others  can  follow  in  his  footsteps. 
^'Fliedner  placed  the  dot  on  the  'i'  when  he  took  the 
greatest  and  most  successful  advance  step  by  creating  a 
vocation  for  woman  in  the  benevolent  ministrations  of 
the  Church.^^  (Schaefer.)  Fliedner  seems  to  have  acted 
on  a  well-known  saying  of  Pastor  Werner:  "Things  un- 


54         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement?. 

done  have  no  vahie/^  His  whole  life  was  controlled  by 
an  intense  realism;  he  daily  strove  to  turn  some  prac- 
tical thought  into  action.  His  choleric  temperament 
contained  strongly-marked,  sanguine  elements,  which  ex- 
plains the  serenity  shown  under  all  difficulties,  and  which 
helped  over  the  most  trying  situations.  There  was  not 
a  trace  of  the  phlegmatic  or  of  melancholy  in  his  dis- 
position. 

His  understanding  of  the  female  character  was 
marvelous.  In  this  respect  he  was  much  in  advance  of 
Wichern.  Wichern's  chief  mistake  consisted  in  not 
clearly  recognizing  the  intellectual  powers  and  gifts  as 
well  as  the  aspirations  and  emotions  of  women,  and  con- 
sequently treating  them  as  he  would  have  treated  men. 
It  often  seemed  that  Fliedner  understood  woman  bet- 
ter than  she  understood  herself,  and  for  this  reason  he 
was  .able  to  advance  and  lift  up  womankind.  Wichern's 
conception  of  the  female  diaconate  was  superficial,  which 
accounts  for  the  inconsiderable  success  of  his  under- 
takings in  this  line  of  work;  not  even  his  establishments 
for  girls  in  the  "Eauhe  Haus"  prospered  as  they  should. 
Their  success  was  much  inferior  to-  that  of  the  estab- 
lishments for  boys.  Loehe  understood  the  feminine 
mind  as  well  as  Fliedner,  but  he  was  too  ideal.  But 
Fliedner  stood  in  the  midst  of  practical  life,  and  sought 
to  idealize  the  meanest  work  and  events  of  the  every- 
day life  by  recognizing  their  ideal  value.  He  knew  that 
the  mainspring  of  true  womanly  character  is  motherli- 
ness,  and  he  tried  to  solve  the  problem  of  woman's  work 
from  this  point  of  view.  He  also  knew  that  this  motherly 
impulse  helps  w^oman  to  bear  burdens  which  no  man 
would  be  able  to  bear.  For  this  reason  Fliedner  only 
recognized  that  which  belongs  to  the  sphere  of  womanli- 
ness as  belonging  to  her  life  work,  and  therefore  he  was 


Female  Diaconate  in  Modern  Times.  55 

careful  to  require  nothing  of  her  which  did  not  belong 
to  this  sphere.  No  one  better  understood  how  to  treat 
that  great  weakness  of  womankind,  sentimentalism ;  and, 
as  a  practical  man,  he  concluded  that  the  Mother  House 
is  the  proper  home  for  the  Sisters.  Here  they  could 
move  about  with  all  the  freedom  of  the  home,  and  yet 
as  maturer  children  of  the  same,  and  therefore  Fliedner 
combined  the  associational  feature  with  the  Mother 
House.  But  he  also  knew  that  only  the  love  of  God, 
shed  abroad  in  the  heart  through  the  Holy  Ghost,  can 
be  the  true  and  safe  foundation  for  this  companionship. 
His  own  heart  was  filled  with  this  love,  and  he  tried  to 
lead  the  Sisters  to  the  same  open  fountain.  His  religious 
experience  was  verified  by  a  life  of  unselfish  devotion, 
and  fully  tested  in  the  crucible  of  affliction.  Therefore 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  was  reflected  in  his  face,  and  he 
knew  that  prayer  is  the  only  source  of  strength  and  the 
Word  of  God  the  only  guiding-star. 

Theodore  Fliedner  inaugurated  a  movement  which 
will  be  as  far-reaching  as  eternity,  just  as  the  waves  of 
the  sea  never  rest  till  they  reach  the  shore.  Some  one 
has  summarized  the  results  of  his  work  in  the  following 
sentences:  1.  Fliedner's  work  has  demonstrated  the 
reality  of  the  divine  vocation  of  women;  that  is,  their 
capacity  and  duty  as  co-laborers  in  the  kingdom  of  God. 
2.  Through  the  revival  of  the  Apostolic  Diaconate  Flied- 
ner has  given  to  unmarried  women  in  the  evangelical 
Church  a  vocation  for  life  that  meets  their  highest  aspira- 
tions. 3.  Fliedner  originated  a  movement  in  the  evan- 
gelical world  by  which  women  may  be  led  to  a  fuller 
realization  of  the  blessedness  of  Christian  service.  4.  His 
work  is  an  evidence  that  equalization  of  classes  is  pos- 
sible on  an  evangelical  basis.  5.  By  his  principle  of 
abolishing    the    difference    between    higher    and    lower 


5G  History  of  the  Deacoxess  ^Fovement. 

grades  of  work  he  has  also  discovered  the  proper  ^^oint 
of  view  for  estimating  the  work  of  woman;  namely,  that 
whatever  a  Christian  believer  does  in  the  name  of  Christ 
is  true  worship.  6.  By  introducing  a  mode  of  life  and 
conduct  in  which  the  golden  mean  is  properly  observed 
he  has  set  a  noteworthy  example  worthy  of  all  imitation. 
7.  He  has  given  a  new  impulse  and  strength  to  the  work 
of  saving  imperiled  and  lost  women. 

Some  one  has  said  that  the  year  1800  gave  two  great 
leaders  to  Germany:  General  Field  Marshal  Von  Moltke 
(born  October  26,  1800)  and  the  Deaconess  Father, 
Theodore  Fliedner  (born  January  21,  1800).  To  the  first 
the  German  is  indebted  chiefly  for  the  victory  of  its 
armies;  to  the  latter  for  the  gathering  of  that  great 
army  of  peace-bearers,  the  deaconesses,  who  go  about,  not 
to  make  wounds  but  to  heal  those  already  made.  And 
the  fact  that  in  the  year  1852  two  hundred  young  women 
from  the  upper  and  lower  grades  of  society  responded 
to  Fliedner's  call  for  deaconesses  by  offering  themselves 
as  probationers  at  Kaiserswerth  shows  how  extensively 
his  voice  was  heard  in  all  parts  of  Germany. 

When  he  was  placed  on  his  last  bed  of  sickness  (1864), 
he  exclaimed,  "All  that  is  necessary  is  to  be  a  saved 
child  of  God."  He  was  very  much  comforted  by  the 
words,  "Here  a  poor  sinner  cometh  home,  who  would  be 
saved  by  grace  alone."  When  the  time  of  his  dissolution 
approached,  and  his  sons  were  to  leave  in  order  to  enter 
the  gymnasium  (preparatory  school  for  the  university), 
he  gave  them  his  hand  in  parting,  and  said:  "It  is  prob- 
ably the  last  time  that  I  will  see  you  thus  about  me. 
We  will  not  disguise  the  fact  that  I  will  soon  pass  over 
into  a  blessed  eternity.  It  is  a  solemn  and  mighty  mo- 
ment! When  I  look  back  upon  my  life  I  can  only  say, 
0  that  every  heartbeat  were  a  throb  of  gratitude,  and 


Female  Diacoxate  ix  Moderx  Times.  57 

every  breath  a  hymn  of  praise!  How  can  I  worthily 
exalt  Him?  How  blessed  it  is  to  serve  such  a  Master, 
who  forgiveth  sin,  and  will  forgive  me  all  my  sins!  The 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  cleanseth  from 
all  sin.  .  I  cling  to  that.  .  .  .  Let  no  one  deceive 
yon,  that  you  should  doubt  Him  who  said,  '^I  am  the 
Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life.^  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son 
of  God.  One  thing  is  needful — the  salvation  of  your 
souls.^' 

Then  he  laid  his  hands  on  the  head  of  each  mem- 
ber of  the  family  and  gave  them  his  parting  blessing. 
As  he  grew  weaker  and  the  physician  at  last  could  feel  no 
pulse,  the  sick  man  was  still  heard  to  lisp,  ^'Thou  Con- 
queror of  Death — Victor!'^  Death  came  without  a  strug- 
gle, October  4th,  and  the  burial  took  place  on  October 
7,  1864,  in  Kaiserswerth.  The  simple  gravestone  is 
decorated  with  a  cross  and  palm,  beneath  which  is  his 
name  and  the  text  of  the  funeral  sermon:  "Come,  ye 
blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for 
you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world." 

Pastor  Mallet,  of  Bremen,  very  beautifully  and  truly 
says  in  his  memoir:  "Fliedner  remembered  the  words  of 
Jesus,  T  have  compassion  on  the  multitude.'  He  had 
seen  the  distress  of  the  prisoners,  the  children,  the  poor, 
and  the  sick.  He  saw  the  work,  but  there  were  no 
workers,  and  yet  many  were  standing  in  the  market- 
place idle.  A  new  thought  came  to  him  from  above,  a 
new  name  and  a  new  work.  He  re-established  the  Apos- 
tolic Diaconate.  It  has  already  taken  root  in  four  con- 
tinents; for  wherever  distress  became  known  he  was 
anxious  to  relieve  it.  Ever  new  workers,  ever  greater 
resources  were  attracted  to  him.  He  had  no  money,  and 
yet  he  never  ceased  building;  he  had  not  the  aid  of 
powerful  influence,  yet  he  became  a  prince.     During  the 


58         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movemext. 

last  years  he  breathed  with  only  half  a  lung,  and  yet 
he  worked  on  with  tireless  energy;  yea,  the  Word  of  the 
Lord  applies  to  him,  ^Thoii  hast  labored,  and  hast  n-ot 
grown  weary/  In  him  we  can  see  what  the  Lord  Jesus 
can  make  of  a  poor  man.  In  the  industrial  world  Flied- 
ner  w^ould  have  been  a  millionaire,  would  have  built 
palaces  and  parks,  and  the  millionaire  would  have  died 
a  poor  man;  but  through  faith  he  dedicated  everything 
to  the  service  of  his  dear  Master.  By  faith  he  achieved 
mighty  results.  How  this  man  must  have  prayed!  How 
he  pleaded,  not  only  with  men,  but  with  God!  And  so 
he  found  more  than  he  sought,  received  far  more  abun- 
dantly than  he  had  asked.^^ 

Fliedner  himself  has  disclosed  the  secret  of  his  work 
and  of  his  success  in  the  motto  of  his  life:  "He  must 
increase,  but  I  must  decrease."  He  never  sought  glory 
or  rew^ard  or  recognition.  He  studiously  avoided  all 
marks  of  personal  distinction,  but  the  blessings  which 
God  brought  to  modern  Protestant  Christianity  through 
him  abides.  His  last  great  work  was  the  organization 
of  the  General  Conference  of  all  Deaconess  Mother 
Houses  in  Kaiserswerth  in  1861.  This  Conference  was 
to  meet  every  third  year,  according  to  his  desire.  But 
he  did  not  live  to  see  the  second  meeting  in  the  year  1864. 


CHAPTEE  III. 
THE  INSTITUTIONS  AT  KAISERSWERTH. 

If  Theodore  Fliedner  is  the  founder  of  the  Deaconess 
Movement  of  modern  times^  Kaiserswerth  is  the  cradle 
and  the  13th  of  October,  1836,  the  day  of  the  founding 
of  the  Kaiserswerth  Mother  House.  AYithout  any  means, 
any  prestige  or  renown,  the  young  Pastor  Fliedner,  trust- 


The  First  Deaconess  Home  at  Kaiserswerth. 

ing  in  God  and  guided  by  Divine  Providence,  opened  on 
that  day  an  institution  which  was  destined  to  become 
the  model  of  all  Deaconess  Institutions  of  the  world,  and 
which  to-day  has  numerous  branch  institutions  and  hun- 
dreds of  stations  and  fields  of  labor  in  five  continents. 
Several  years  previously  (on  the  17th  of  September,  1833) 
Fliedner  had  opened  the  first  asylum  in  the  small  garden- 
house  that  has  become  so  renowned.  (See  cut  above.) 
On    this    day    the    first    ward    of    the    asylum,    a    dis- 

59 


60 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


charged  female  convict^  arrived  in  Kaiserswerth.  A 
second  arrived  shortly  after,  and  these  two  measured  the 
full  capacity  of  the  Home.  Fliedner  soon  realized  that 
he  must  have  an  institution  in  which  young  women 
could  be  prepared  for  the  calling  of  deaconess  and  in- 
structed in  the  necessary  branches,  and  which  at  the 
same  time  would  afford  them  a  moral  rallying-point. 
Without  a  penny  in  his  pocket,  as  a  man  of  faith  and 


Kaiserswerth,  twenty-five  years  ago. 


action  he  bought  a  house  for  $2,300,  and  into  this  there 
entered,  on  the  20th  of  October,  1836,  the  first  deaconess, 
Gertrude  Beichard,  a  talented  and  experienced  nurse,  the 
daughter  of  a  physician  in  Euhrort.  Concerning  the 
very  meager  beginning  Fliedner  himself  writes:  "A  table, 
several  chairs  with  half-broken  backs,  damaged  knives, 
forks  with  only  two  prongs,  worm-eaten  bedsteads,  and 
a  few  other  things,  constituted  the  whole  outfit.  In 
this  humble  style  we  moved  in,  but  with  hearts  full  of 


The  Institutions  at  Ivaiserswerth.  61 

joy  and  praise/'  That  is  the  simple  record  of  the  small 
beginning  of  one  of  the  most  extensive  and  blessed  move- 
ments of  the  Protestant  Church  in  modern  times. 

But  Fliedner  was  a  progressive  man,  and  from  the 
beginning  his  breadth  of  vision,  as  well  as  the  undaunted 
courage  of  his  faith,  reached  far  beyond  little  Ivaisers- 
werth. In  the  autumn  of  1835  he  opened  a  Christian 
kindergarten  in  the  same  small  garden-house,  and  on  the 
21st  of  February,  1838,  he  founded  the  first  station  of 
the  Mother  House  in  Elberfeld.  Thenceforward,  step  by 
step,  especially  in  Prussia,  one  institution  followed  the 
other.  Fliedner^s  busy  and  progressive  spirit  constantly 
originated  new  plans,  and  his  attention  was  directed  to 
all  forms  of  human  need  which  the  genius  of  woman 
was  especially  fitted  to  relieve.  It  is  a  striking  coinci- 
dence that  the  Church  seal  of  Ivaiserswerth  represents 
a  tree  that,  under  the  benign  influences  of  the  sun,  has 
sprung  from  a  tiny  mustard-seed.  It  bears  the  inscrip- 
tion, "The  mustard-seed  has  become  a  tree.^^  By  the 
end  of  the  fifth  year  there  were  ten  deaconesses  employed 
in  five  outside  stations,  and  in  the  surrounding  cities 
and  towns  they  were  engaged  in  private  nursing.  The 
spark  had  been  fanned  to  a  bright  flame,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  first  decade  there  were  108  deaconesses  in  the 
Mother  House.  Of  these,  62  worked  in  nineteen  branch 
stations,  and  from  numerous  cities  of  Germany  there 
came  urgent  inquiries  for  private  nurses.  Parish  work 
had  also  become  such  a  hopeful  department  that  Fliedner 
himself  acknowledged  that  the  work  of  the  "parish- 
deaconess" — that  is,"  the  deaconess  who  is  attached  to  a 
Church  in  the  capacity  of  a  home  missionary — would  be- 
come more  important  year  by  year. 

The  hospital  had  been  enlarged  so  much  that  about 
six  hundred  patients  could  be  received  and  treated  an- 


62  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

niially,  and  in  the  seminary  270  young  women  had  al- 
ready been  educated  as  teachers.  The  manual-training 
school  and  the  higher  school  for  girls  prospered,  and 
both  an  orphanage  and  a  preparatory  school  for  deacon- 
esses had  been  established.  Seventeen  Christian  kinder- 
gartens had  been  founded  in  various  parts  of  Prussia, 
and  the  institution  at  Kaiserswerth  had  been  able  to  trans- 


Deaconess  Hospital,  at  Kaiserswerth,  twenty-five  years  ago. 

fer  deaconesses  to  assume  the  direction  of  the  Mother 
Houses  that  had  been  founded  in  many  cities  of  Europe, 
and  soon  become  self-sustaining.  The  institution  at 
Kaiserswerth  received  rights  of  incorporation  with  the 
title  "Rheinisch-Westfaelischer  Yerein  fuer  Bildung  und 
Beschaeftigung  evangelischer  Diakonissen,"  and  this  so- 
ciety gradually  extended  its  activity  to  the  following  lines 
of  work:  hospitals  (including  institutions  for  the  simple- 
minded  and  epileptic),  poorhouses,  infirmaries,   orphan- 


The  Institutions  at  Kaiserswerth.  63 

ages,  educational  institutions,  elementary  schools,  semi- 
naries for  the  education  of  kindergarten  teachers,  kinder- 
gartens, nurseries,  houses  of  refuge,  children's  hospitals, 
schools  of  industry,  homes  for  servant-girls,  Magdalen 
Asylums,  hospices,  pensions,  retreats  for  boys  and  girls, 
prison  mission-work,  parish  work,  and  numerous  other 
spheres  of  activity  for  which  woman  is  especially  fitted. 
Such  was  the  glorious  record  of  the  first  decade. 

At  the  close  of  the  second  decade  the  number  of  dea- 
conesses in  Kaiserswerth  had  already  reached  244,  of 
whom  177  were  employed  outside  the  Mother  House  in  the 
branch  institutions  and  in  various  departments  of  work. 
The  number  of  Deaconess  Mother  Houses  that  were  in- 
dependent of  Kaiserswerth  had  already  increased  to 
eleven,  and  each  of  these  institutions  formed  a  center 
for  the  varied  and  extensive  forms  of  Christian  benevo- 
lence. When,  on  the  16th  of  December,  1861,  the  twenty- 
fifth  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the  institution  at 
Kaiserswerth,  as  well  as  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of 
the  appointment  of  Gertrude  Eeichard,  the  first  deaconess 
in  said  institution,  eighty-three  separate  fields  of  work 
of  the  Mother  House  at  Kaiserswerth  could  be  enumer- 
ated; and  in  his  annual  report  Pastor  Fliedner  said,  with 
a  glad  heart  and  with  gratitude  toward  God,  "The  Lord 
hath  done  great  things  for  us,  whereof  we  are  glad.^' 
When,  in  the  year  1864,  he  entered  into  the  rest  that 
remaineth  to  the  people  of  God,  four  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  deaconesses  belonged  to  the  Mother  House  at  Kaisers- 
werth, besides  one  hundred  different  fields  of  labor.  The 
number  of  Deaconess  Mother  Houses  had  increased  to 
thirty-two,  and  altogether  there  were  sixteen  hundred 
deaconesses  employed  in  more  than  four  hundred  different 
fields  of  labor. 

Fliedner  found  a  worthy  and  most  competent  succes- 


64 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


sor  in  his  son-in-law,  Pastor  Dr.  Julius  Disselhoff,  who 
superintended  the  institutions  with  much  wisdom  for 
thirty-two  years.  In  all  departments  of  home  missions, 
and  in  all  questions  bearing  on  Deaconess  Work,  Dissel- 
hoff  has  come  to  be  a  recognized  authority.  In  all  ques- 
tions   of    organization   he    remained    true    to    Fliedner's 

views  and  princi- 
ples; but  he  knew 
how  to  reckon 
with  changing  cir- 
cumstances, and  to 
shape  the  interior 
development  of 
the  work  accord- 
i  n  g  1  y.  Through 
his  literary  activ- 
ity he  contributed 
much  toward  a 
wider  and  better 
understanding  of 
the  Deaconess 
Work.  Of  his  lit- 
erary productions 
the  following  are 
especially  worthy 
of  notice :  '^Jubi- 
late; or,  Denk- 
schrift  zur  Jubel- 
feier;"  "Pastoral- 
briefe  an  meine  lieben  Diakonissen,^'  and  "Wegweiser 
fuer  Diakonissen."  The  first  named  of  these  is  a  most 
thankworthy. historical  work  that  has  received  wide  rec- 
ognition. On  Good  Friday,  1896,  he  preached  his  last 
sermon  on  the  last  words  of  Jesus  on  the  cross,  "It  is 


Rev.  Jumus  Dissex,hoff,  D.  D. 


The  Institutions  at  Kaiserswerth. 


65 


finished,"  and  died  July  14th  of  the  same  year,  his  last 
words  being,  "Grant  me  some  rest,  0  thou  Prince  of 
peace!"  His  death  deprived  not  only  the  institution  at 
Kaiserswerth,  but  also  the  Deaconess  Work  at  large,  of 
a  diligent,  safe,  and  influential  leader,  and  of  a  wise  and 
prudent  counselor. 

The    institution    at    Kaiserswerth    consists    of    two 


Deaconess  Mother  House  at  Kaiserswerth. 
groups:  The  Mother  House,  with  its  branch  institutions 
in  Kaiserswerth  and  elsewhere,  constitute  the  first  group; 
and  the  numerous  fields  of  labor,  or  stations,  the  other. 
The  property  of  the  first  group  belongs  to  the  "Rheinisch- 
Westfaelischer  Diakonieverein,"  which  society  must  pro- 
vide for  these  institutions  in  every  particular  through 
the  Mother  House.  The  property  of  the  second  group 
belongs  to  other  societies  and  organizations,  wherefore 
this  group  is  not  so  closely  affiliated  with  the  Mother 


66  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

House.  The  deaconesses  are  stationed  in  these  fields  of 
labor  (stations)  under  contract,  and,  consequently,  can 
at  any  time  be  recalled  or  replaced  by  others. 

A  survey  of  the  lovely  grounds  and  buildings  of 
Kaiserswerth  may  interest  the  reader.  We  start  from 
the  main  building,  the  Mother  House,  which  is  three 
stories  high,  and  adjoins  the  pleasant  chapel  building  of 
the  institution.  (See  illustration.)  This  main  building 
has  from  time  to  time  been  considerably  enlarged  by  ad- 
ditions and  connecting  wings.  It  contains  the  simple 
but  neat  rooms  of  the  deaconesses,  besides  a  department 
for  the  sick  of  their  number  and  another  for  the  infirm. 
Adjoining  the  stately  church,  the  slender  tower  of  which 
rises  to  quite  a  height,  is  seen  the  instruction  hall,  and 
adjoining  this  the  "Feierabendhaus"  and  the  "Pilger- 
haus,^^  with  supply-store.  Here  may  be  found  the  mu- 
seum, with  its  rich  contents:  models  of  the  institutions 
in  Egypt,  Syria,  and  Palestine,  wood-carvings  from  Jeru- 
salem, mummies  from  Egypt,  numerous  relics  from  bat- 
tlefields on  which  the  Sisters,  like  angels  of  mercy,  nursed 
the  sick  and  closed  the  eyes  of  the  dying.  Among  the 
numerous  articles  that  are  of  special  interest  and  his- 
toric value  there,  is  the  cup  out  of  which  Emperor  Wil- 
liam I  drank  at  Vyonville.  N'ear  the  main  building  are 
situated  the  dwellings  of  the  otTicers  and  teachers,  the 
parsonage  and  the  dwelling  of  the  pastor  of  the  seminary, 
the  storage  buildings,  and  the  dwelling  of  the  porter. 
Beyond  the  wall  we  enter  the  kindergarten,  and  also  visit 
the  higher  school  for  girls  and  the  preparatory  school  for 
deaconesses.  In  close  proximity  the  bookstore  is  situated, 
in  which  the  numerous  literary  productions  printed  in 
Kaiserswerth  and  sent  into  all  parts  of  the  world  are  to  be 
found.  We  are  especially  interested  in  the  Kaiserswerth 
Calendar,  Avhich  is  sent  out  in  hundreds  of  thousands 


The  Institutions  at  Kaiseeswerth. 


67 


of  copies  annually.  We  enter  the  seminary  in  which 
young  women  are  prepared  as  teachers  for  kindergartens, 
puhlic  schools,  and  schools  for  girls.  Xear  by  is  the 
^'Magdalenenstift/'  an  asylum  in  which  discharged  female 
convicts  find  a  refuge.  Toward  the  north  the  gar- 
dens of  the  Mother  House  and  the  hospital  extend  to 
Wall  Street:  toward  the  Ehine  the  mill-tower  (MuchJen- 


Institutios  at  Kaiserswerth. 

turm)  stands  as  guard  of  the  western  border.  This  row 
of  houses  forms  the  northern  border  of  Kaiserswerth. 
Beyond  it  extend  the  gardens  and  meadows  of  the  insti- 
tution, and  on  the  other  side  is  the  farm^  with  its  barn, 
stables,  dairy,  etc.  Besides  these  we  mention  the  '"Paul 
Gerhardtstift,"  in  which  sick  and  helpless  women  are 
cared  for.  In  a  charming  location  on  the  Johannisberg 
is  situated  the  institute  for  deranged  women;  also  the 


68  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

sanitarium  and  the  house  for  recreation,  which  is  beau- 
tifully located,  and  is  surrounded  by  magnificent  parks. 
At  some  distance  from  this  lies  the  Fronberg,  where  the 
main  hospital  for  adult  patients  of  both  sexes  is  situated, 
containing  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  beds.  The  hos- 
pital for  children  has  sixty-five  beds,  and  in  front  of  this 
magnificent  building  is  a  monument  of  Emperor  Fred- 
erick III.  While  visiting  Kaiserswerth  as  crown-prince, 
he  had  held  in  his  arms  a  sick  and  half-blind  child,  and 
permitted  it  to  play  with  the  medals  on  his  breast.  In 
this  position  he  is  represented  on  the  monument,  and  on 
the  front  of  the  die  there  is  the  inscription,  "Our  crown- 
prince  in  Kaiserswerth,  September  21,  1884,"  while  on 
the  back  of  it  is  inscribed  the  words  that  an  Arabian 
child  addressed  to  him  during  his  visit  in  Jerusalem  in 
1869,  "I  love  you."  The  orphanage  on  the  Fronberg  has 
been  named  "Kingdom  of  Heaven"  (Himmelreich).  The 
parklike  surroundings,  with  their  walks  under  chestnut- 
trees,  its  gardens  and  fountains,  its  flower-beds  and  snug 
corners  and  little  garden-houses,  make  a  most  pleasing 
impression  on  the  visitor.  In  the  hospital  w^e  are  charmed 
by  the  magnificent  glass  windows,  and  in  the  chapel  by 
the  grand  painting  of  Behmer  in  Weimar,  representing 
the  healing  of  the  impotent  man  at  the  pool  of  Bethesda. 
Before  leaving  Kaiserswerth  we  must  visit  the  small 
garden-house  mentioned  above,  the  cradle  of  the  insti- 
tutions at  Kaiserswerth,  which  formerly  belonged  to  the 
city  evangelical  parish.  In  1886  the  deaconesses  bought 
this  garden-house  and  presented  it  to  the  Mother  House 
at  its  anniversary. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  in  this  connection  the 
branch  institutions  belonging  to  the  Mother  House  at 
Kaiserswerth.  We  can  only  mention  that  there  are 
branch   Homes   in   Austria,    Switzerland,   Bohemia,   Mo- 


The  Institutions  at  Kaiserswerth. 


69 


ravia,  Hungary,  the  iNetherlancls,  France,  England,  Nor- 
way, Belgium,  Sweden,  and  Italy.  The  work  of  Christian 
charity  has  been  extended  even  into  the  Orient.  And 
apart  from  the  institutions  the  deaconesses  are  employed 
in  the  numerous  forms  of  Christian  charity  mentioned 
above,  whereby  the  most  varied  gifts  and  powers  are  put 
tc  efficient  use.     Special  mention  should  be  made  of  the 


Dkaooness  Home  in  Smtrna. 


institutions  at  Jerusalem,  Alexandria,  Cairo,  Beirut, 
Smyrna,  and  Bucharest.  It  was  one  of  the  great  life- 
thoughts  of  Fliedner  not  only  to  show  forth  deeds  of 
Christian  mercy  in  evangelical  countries  through  the 
Deaconess  Work,  but  also  to  bear  witness  to  the  prac- 
tical benevolence  of  the  evangelical  faith  in  Roman  Cath- 
olic countries.  This  has  in  a  great  measure  been  accom- 
plished through  the  work  of  the  deaconesses.  The  institu- 
tions in  France,  Hungary,  Bohemia,  and  Italy,  especially 


70  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

in  Florence  and  Eome,  have  come  to  be  a  source  of  bless- 
ing to  thousands  upon  thousands.  We  would,  however, 
point  in  particular  to  the  salutary  influence  exerted  by 
the  deaconesses  among  the  Mohammedans.  A  traveler 
relates  the  following:  ^'The  Kaiserswerth  deaconesses  are 
fulfilling  a  mission  in  the  Orient  of  deepest  significance. 
They  are  a  credit  to  the  Evangelical  Church  and  a  last- 
ing honor  to  the  German  Fatherland.  I  do  not  hesitate  to 
rate  the  work  of  these  deaconesses  as  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant achievements  of  the  Evangelical  Church.  It  is 
done  unostentatiously,  quietly,  and  with  such  self-denial 
that  it  is  almost  overlooked  at  home;  but  it  sinks  deep 
into  the  secluded  life  of  the  Orient.  Surrounded  by  Mo- 
hammedans, these  deaconesses,  bearing  in  their  hearts  the 
message  of  the  cross,  are  testifying  by  their  lives  to  the 
power  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  They  nurse  their  sick 
and  educate  their  daughters.  In  the  hospitals  of  Con- 
stantinople and  Beirut,  of  Jerusalem  and  Alexandria,  I 
have  witnessed  the  wondering  admiration  and  the  deep 
gratitude  of  communicants  of  the  Evangelical,  the  Koman 
Catholic,  and  the  Greek  Catholic  Church,  who  had  been 
nursed  by  the  deaconesses  in  these  far-away  lands  as  only 
a  mother  can  nurse,  and  such  touching  experiences  are 
to  many 'the  means  of  finding  their  w^ay  to  their  Father's 
house.^' 

Fliedner  himself  accompanied  the  first  deaconesses  to 
Jerusalem,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  the  blessed  and 
widespread  Deaconess  Work  in  the  Orient.  He  had  been 
invited  by  Bishop  Gobat  to  visit  him,  and  had  been  re- 
quested to  found  an  institution  in  Jerusalem.  When  Flied- 
ner reported  this  to  King  Frederick  William  IV,  the  latter 
at  once  placed  two  houses  at  his  disposal,  and  offered  to 
bear  the  total  expense  of  the  journey.  On  Thursday, 
in  the  Passion  Week  of  the  year  1851,  Fliedner  arrived 


The  Institutions  at  Kaiserswerth.  71 

in  Jerusalem  with  four  deaconesses^  and  on  the  4th  of 
May  following  he  was  able  to  dedicate  the  first  Deaconess 
Home  of  the  Orient  in  Jerusalem.  It  was  intended  for 
a  house  of  mercy  and  training-school  from  which  Chris- 
tian nurses  and  teachers  for  the  Orient  should  go  forth. 
To-day  there  are  on  opposite  sides  of  Java  Street  two 
large  institutions:  the  educational  institution  ^'Talitha- 
cumi/'  in  which  there  are  one  hundred  and  twenty  chil- 
dren, and  the  Deaconess  Hospital,  in  which  there  is  room 


Deaconess  Hospital  in  Alexandria,  Egypt. 

for  one  hundred  beds.  Thence  the  w^ork  spread  into 
other  parts  of  the  Orient,  and  to-day  more  than  one  hun- 
dred deaconesses  are  employed  in  the  following  cities: 
Jerusalem,  Constantinople,  Smyrna,  Alexandria,  Beirut, 
and  Cairo.  In  May,  1901,  the  fiftieth  anniversary  was 
celebrated,  and  from  all  parts  of  the  world  there  arrived 
charitable  gifts  for  the  propagation  of  the  work  in  Je- 
rusalem. 

In  the  cities  mentioned  there  are  stately  institutions 


The  Institutions  at  Kaiserswerth.  73 

in  which  the  sick  are  nursed  and  the  youth  are  instructed 
in  the  way  of  salvation.  In  Alexandria  alone,  where 
the  work  was  begun  in  1857,  more  than  fifty  thousand 
patients  have  been  nursed.  How  much  actual  charity 
work,  how  many  prayers  and  sleepless  nights,  how  many 
tears  and  deeds  of  self-denial  are  represented  by  these 
names  and  numbers!  What  has  thus  far  been  said  is 
really  only  the  scaffolding  of  the  actual  work  done.  God 
alone  knows  what  these  deaconesses  have  really  accom- 
plished for  immortal  human  souls.  If  we  add  to  this  the 
work  of  the  deaconesses  in  private  nursing  and  the  help 
rendered  by  them  in  times  of  general  need,  in  epidemics  of 
cholera  and  typhus,  during  great  wars,  on  the  battlefields, 
and  in  field-hospitals,  we  can  realize  how  truthfully  Oster- 
tag  has  spoken  in  his  volume  on  "Werkstaette  evangeli- 
scher  Liebesthaetigkeit'^  concerning  the  work  of  the  Kai- 
serswerth Sisters:  "Xo  natural  energy,  no  human  be- 
nevolence, no  spirit  of  patriotism  could  adequately  ac- 
count for  such  a  service  of  love  as  has  been  described.  Its 
secret  is  to  be  found  in  the  Pauline  missionary  spirit  ex- 
pressed in  the  words,  ''The  love  of  Christ  constrain- 
eth  us." 

Up  to  the  present  time  there  have  been  received  in 
Kaiserswerth  between  three  and  four  thousand  deacon- 
esses, and  more  than  eleven  hundred  are  to-day  connected 
with  the  institution  at  Kaiserswerth.  More  than  one  thou- 
sand have  celebrated  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  their 
entrance  upon  the  work,  and  several  are  already  in  the 
fortieth,  and  some  even  in  the  fiftieth,  year  of  their  serv- 
ice as  deaconesses. 

About  two-thirds  of  the  amount  needed  to  sustain 
these  institutions  is  earned  by  the  deaconesses  in  their 
work;  the  remainder  is  obtained  through  private  gifts  and 
church  collections,  penny  subscriptions,  and  the  aid  of 


^4  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

anxiliarv  societies.  A  considerable  income  is  received 
from  tlie  sale  of  books  in  Kaiserswerth  and  the  publi- 
cation of  numerous  other  books  and  periodicals.  The 
"Kheinisch-Westfaelischer  Diakonieverein'^  owns  prop- 
erty valued  at  several  million  marks,  and  in  the  past  year 
the  current  income  amounted  to  815,713  Eeichsmarks 
($204,000),  the  current  expenses  to  810,687  marks. 


CHAPTER  TY. 

THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF   THE    DEACONESS   WOKK   IN 
THE    STATE   CHURCH   OF  GERMANY. 

The  preceding  chapter  was  devoted  exclusively  to  the 
Mother  House  at  Ivaiserswerth  and  its  branch  institu- 
tions. In  this  chapter  we  shall  call  attention  to  some  of 
the  principal  Mother  Houses  in  the  State  Church.  Our 
limited  space  will,  of  course,  make  it  impossible  to  touch 
upon  more  than  the  chief  facts  and  phases  of  the  work 
there. 


The  Deaconess  Mother  House  "Bethanten"  in 
Berlin. 

Bethany,  in  Berlin,  is  the  most  beautiful  and  endur- 
ing monument  that  Frederick  William  IV  of  Prussia  ever 
erected.  In  February, 
1842,  he  wrote  to  his 
minister  Eiehhorn :  "It 
seems  to  me  most  de- 
sirable that  there  be  an 
institution  erected  in 
Berlin  similar  to  the 
order  of  Sisters  of 
Mercy,  but  entirely  in 
the  spirit  of  freedom, 
for  the  purpose  of  training  nurses,  and  in  connection 
therewith,  for  the  same  purpose,  a  well-endowed  hospital." 
This  institution  was  to  have  been  a  central  Deaconess 
Home;   that   is,   a  center  from   which   other   Deaconess 

75 


Deaconess  Home  "Bethanien, 
IN  Berlin. 


76  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Homes  could  be  erected  in  the  provinces.  The  king  in- 
tended tlmt  a  cliain  of  benevolent  institutions  should 
be  built  throughout  the  land,  and  that  the  noblest  and 
best  of  his  people  should  be  united  in  this  charitable 
service.  The  building  of  the  hospital  was  begun  in  1845, 
and  two  years  later  Bethanien  was  opened.  Queen  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  Frederick  William  IV,  assumed  the  pro- 
tectorate. The  inner  management  was  intrusted  entirely 
to  the  head  deaconess  (Oberin),  with  the  chaplain  of  the 
institution  and  the  chief  physician  as  advisers.  The  hos- 
pital is  a  magnificent  building,  with  a  church  in  the  cen- 
ter. On  the  first  floor  are  the  private  rooms  for  the  dea- 
conesses, three  nurseries,  a  drugstore,  halls  for  the  pro- 
bationary nurses,  the  rooms  of  the  head  deaconess 
(Oberin),  offices,  committee-rooms,  and  an  assembly  hall. 
On  the  second  and  third  floors  are  the  Avards  for  the 
sick.  In  1871  a  number  of  one-story  hospitals  were 
erected  on  the  grounds.  During  the  wars  of  1864,  1866, 
1870-71  the  Sisters  of  Bethanien  rendered  noble  service 
on  the  battlefieids.  Unmarried  women  and  widows  from 
eighteen  to  thirty-six  years  of  age,  and  of  evangelical 
faith,  are  admitted  for  training.  The  time  of  probation 
is  one  year,  and  the  consecration  can  not  take  place  be- 
fore the  third  year  of  their  service  in  the  institution. 

Two  persons  chiefly  contributed  largely  to  the  up- 
building of  this  institution,  and  their  names  will  for- 
ever remain  closely  allied  with  the  history  of  Bethanien. 
The  first  is  the  chaplain  of  the  Home,  August  Gottlieb 
Ferdinand  Schultz,  who  is  rightfully  considered  the  or- 
ganizer of  the  inner  arrangement  of  the  institution. 
Being  of  a  practical  turn  of  mind,  he  devised  plans  and 
regulations  of  such  practical  excellence  that  the  majority 
of  the  Deaconess  Homes  in  Europe  have  been  patterned 
after  them.     Pastor  Schultz  was  the  son  of  a  merchant, 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  State  Church. 


77 


and  was  born  in  Stettin,  October  13,  1811.  In  Greifswalde 
and  Berlin  he  prepared  himself  for  the  ministry,  and  in 
1846  assumed  the  superintendency  of  the  Deaconess  In- 
stitution Bethanien,  to  which  task,  for  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  his  whole  time  and  strength  were  devoted.  He 
died  October  11,  1875.  Like  Fliedner,  he  considered 
parish  work  the  crown  of  all  Deaconess  Work.  He  made 
the  highest  demands  on  his  deaconesses,  and  in  no 
institution  did  the  Sis- 
ters receive  a  more  thor- 
ough, all-around  training 
for  their  high  calling. 

The  other  person  who 
so  greatly  influenced  the 
development  of  the  insti- 
tution was  Sister  "Anna," 
Countess  of  Stolberg-We- 
ringerode.  When  in  the 
year  1855  the  first  head 
deaconess,  Marianna  von 
Eanzau,  died,  she  assumed 
the  position  thus  vacated, 
with  much  fear  and 
trembling.      But    a    good 

training  and  many  sore  trials  had  prepared  her  for  this 
important  calling.  Born  September  6,  1819,  in  the  castle 
Peterswalden,  in  Silesia,  she  spent  the  time  of  her 
youth  most  happily  in  the  home  of  her  parents,  and  be- 
came noted  at  an  early  age  for  deeds  of  charity.  Her 
father,  the  Count  of  Stolberg,  governmental  president  in 
Duesseldorf,  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Fliedner's,  and 
in  his  house  the  statutes  of  the  "Eheinisch-Westfaelischer 
Diakonissenverein,^'  framed  by  Fliedner,  were  signed. 
and  the  count  himself  was  elected  first  president.     In 


Sister  "Anna,"    Countess  of 
Stolberg-Weringerode, 


78  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

1836  he,  with  his  daughter  Anna,  attended  the  dedica- 
tion of  the  first  Deaconess  Home  in  Kaiserswerth.  Dur- 
ing her  preparation  for  confirmation  Anna  was  con- 
victed of  sin,  and  experienped  in  her  heart  the  pardon- 
ing grace  of  God.  Thenceforward  her  motto  was,  "The 
hlood  of  Jesus  Christ,  his  Son,  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin." 
These  words  are  inscribed  on  her  monument.  In  Berlin 
her  spiritual  life  was  greatly  quickened  through  Johannes 
Gossner,  and  there  arose  in  her  mind  the  ardent  desire 
to  join  the  Society  of  Sisters  in  Bethanien.  Her  wish 
to  serve  the  sick  finally  grew  so  strong  that  every 
thought  of  it  became  a  prayer;  and  when  at  last,  in  the 
winter  of  1852,  she  w^as  permitted  to  enter  Bethanien, 
she  leaped  for  joy.  From  that  time  her  rich  life,  conse- 
crated to  the  service  of  God,  was  indeed  a  thank-offering. 
Shortly  after  she  had  finished  her  probation  (1855)  she 
was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  Sisterhood  as  head  dea- 
coness, and  her  joy  was  greatly  increased  when  Frederick 
William  IV  appointed  her  brother  Eberhardt  command- 
ant and  chancellor  of  the  Order  of  Malta  (Johanniter- 
orden),  founded  by  him.  Whenever  he  erected  a  new 
hospital  he  called  at  Bethanien  for  help,  and  Sister  Anna 
always  set  out  with  several  of  the  deaconesses  in  order 
to  introduce  them  to  the  services  of  the  new  Johanniter 
Hospital.  In  this  way  the  brother  and  sister  instituted 
no  less  than  twenty-four  hospitals  and  infirmaries,  and 
finally  Bethanien  obligated  itself  to  take  charge  of  all 
hospitals  of  the  Order  of  Malta.  In  the  field  hospitals 
Sister  Anna  always  took  the  lead.  But  after  the  cam- 
paign of  1866,  when  the  king  desired  to  confer  some  dis- 
tinction upon  her,  she  declined  it,  saying,  "Not  unto  us, 
0  Lord,  not  unto  us,  but  unto  thy  name,  give  glory." 
Scarcely  were  the  wounds  of  war  healed  when  an  epi- 
demic of  typhus  began  to  rage  in  East  Prussia  (1868). 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  State  Church.         79 

Sister  Anna  hastened  there  with  several  deaconesses.  It 
was  her  last  mission.  Day  and  night  she  hurried  untiringly 
from  bed  to  bed,  and  when  she  returned  to  Berlin,  Janu- 
ary 28,  1869,  it  was  to  die.  She  "set  her  house  in  order," 
partook  once  more  of  the  holy  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper,  and  said  to  the  weeping  Sisters  around  her  death- 
bed, "Do  not  separate  me  from  my  Lord  by  your  im- 
petuous entreaties."  Her  large  patrimony  she  willed  to 
the  Mother  House  Bethanien  and  to  the  "Mariannen- 
stift"  in  her  Silesian  home.  To  the  Sisters  she  wrote 
the  following  farewell:  "The  Lord  has  looked  kindly 
upon  me,  has  forgiven  me  my  many  great  sins  for 
Christ's  sake,  and  has  graciously  received  me  to  himself. 
This  I  hope  and  believe,  according  to  his  great  mercy. 
I  pray  and  admonish  you:  'Little  children,  abide  in  him, 
and  love  ye  one  another.'  This  is  my  last  wish  and 
entreaty  to  you."  Her  death  was  truly  the  death  of  a 
heroine.  The  king  himself  laid  a  laurel  wreath  upon  her 
plain  casket,  and  the  queen  added  a  floral  tribute.  An 
immense  procession  followed  her  casket.  In  the  streets 
of  Berlin  a  dense  throng  had  assembled,  and  many 
wept.  The  king  himself  followed  the  casket  with  un- 
covered head,  leading  the  aged  mother  of  the  deceased 
by  the  arm. 

To-day  Bethanien  has  three  hundred  and  forty  dea- 
conesses, who  are  employed  in  one  hundred  and  ten 
diiferent  fields  of  labor.  It  has  become  the  Central 
Deaconess  Home,  especially  for  East  Prussia. 

The  Evangelical  Deaconess  Home  in  Strassburg. 

This  institution  owes  its  origin  to  the  new  awakening 
of  spiritual  life  in  the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury. The  pious  pastor,  Franz  Heinrich  Haerter,  is  its 
founder.    The  history  of  its  origin  was  peculiar.    It  had 


80 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


been  i3roposed  to  turn  the  city  hospital  over  to  the  evan- 
gelical people,  if  two  women  could  be  found  capable  of 
taking  charge  of  the  same;  but  none  applied.  The  Sis- 
ters of  Mercy  accordingly  took  possession  of  the  hospital, 
and  the  Protestants  became  the  butt  of  ridicule  among 
the  Catholics.  Deeply  grieved  and  mortified,  Haerter  re- 
solved to  vindicate  the  honor  of  the  Evangelical  Church, 
and  immediately  founded  (1836)  a  Deaconess  Society, 
which  many  influential  women  joined.  Out  of  this 
society,  called  ^'Dienerinnenverein,^^  the  institution  devel- 


Rev.  Franz  Heinrioh  Haebter.     Louise  Keck,  Head  Deaconess. 

oped.  The  society  had  set  for  itself  the  task  of  visiting 
poor  and  sick  women  on  Sundays,  to  render  temporal 
aid  and  spiritual  comfort.  It  soon  became  apparent,  how- 
ever, that  the  poor  and  sick  were  in  need  of  ministering 
love,  not  only  on  Sunday,  but  also  on  week-days,  where- 
fore several  of  the  women  offered  to  devote  all  their  time 
and  strength  to  this  work.  Haerter  saw  that  the  time 
had  come  for  the  founding  of  a  Deaconess  Home,  and  on 
the  9th  of  July,  1842,  he  opened  the  institution.  He 
had  a  broad  conception  of  the  Deaconess  Work,  and 
turned  his  attention,  not  only  to  the  training  of  Sisters 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  State  Church. 


81 


for  nursing  the  sick^  but  also  to  the  training  of  teachers, 
and  soon  a  teachers'  training-school  resulted.  Then  he 
founded  a  Home  for  servant-girls,  a  reform  school,  a 
kindergarten,  and  a  nursery.  There  was  also  an  asylum 
founded  which  might  offer  to  the  old,  sick,  and  for- 
saken a  pleasant  home.  Much  stress  was  also  laid  upon 
the  work  among  the  fallen.  In  one  particular  the  regu- 
lations differ  from  all  others.     The  right  of  membership 


Deaconess  Home  in  Strassburg. 

in  the  Sisterhood  is  determined  by  a  two-thirds  vote  of 
the  Sisters.  The  head  deaconess^,  as  well  as  the  chief 
Sisters  of  the  branch  stations,  are  chosen  by  the  Sister- 
hood for  a  term  of  three  years.  The  pastor  is  only  an 
adviser,  and  the  institution  is  governed  by  a  committee 
of  ladies.  In  its  main  features  the  organization  is  a 
female  democracy.  Tlie  motto  of  the  house  is,  "For  me 
to  live  is  Christ,  and  to  die  is  gain.''  (Phil,  i,  21.)  The 
talented  and  pious  founder  gave  to  the  Home  a  peculiar 
and  lasting  impress. 
6 


82  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Franz  Heinrich  Haerter  was  born  in  Strassburg,  Au- 
gust 1,  1797,  and  died  there  August  5,  1873.  In  early 
childhood  he  experienced  the  preserving  grace  of  God, 
in  that  he  awoke  from  apparent  death  after  he  had  al- 
ready been  placed  in  the  casket.  Yielding  to  the  wish 
of  his  father,  he  studied  theology,  but  barely  escaped 
utter  spiritual  ruin  in  the  labyrinth  of  the  rationalism 
of  the  times.  When  he  was  already  in  the  pastorate  he 
strove  to  attain  saving  faith.  He  wrote:  "Through  dili- 
gent prayer  and  reading  the  Scriptures  my  knowledge 
grew  clearer  day  by  day;  but  I  painfully  realized  that 
love  was  still  wanting  in  my  soul.  I  prayed  long  and 
often  in  great  distress,  '0  my  Savior,  give  my  poor  heart 
thy  love!'  About  a  year  passed  before  my  prayer  was 
fully  answered.  Little  by  little,  and  at  long  intervals, 
He  who  is  rich  in  mercy  poured  out  his  love  into  my 
heart.  At  first  my  heart  thawed  out  slowly,,  then  the 
God-life,  like  a  gentle  spring  rain,  fell  in  drops  into  my 
thirsty  soul.  At  last  the  inner  foundations  of  my  being 
were  submerged -by  love,  so  that  in  the  midst  of  the  con- 
sciousness of  my  sinfulness  I  could  praise  him  and  pro-; 
claim  to  all  the  world,  'This  is  a  faithful  saying  and 
worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the 
world  to  save  sinners,  of  whom  I  am  chief.' "  On  the 
following  Sunday,  in  his  sermon  to  his  congregation,  he 
testified  clearly  to  his  conversion.  Five  hundred  years 
before  the  famous  Tauler  had  also  related  his  conversion 
from  the  same  pulpit.  Through  Haerter's  sermon  a  great 
awakening  began,  and  multitudes  came  to  a  saving 
knowledge  of  the  truth.  The  result  was  a  life  full  of 
missionary  zeal  and  Christian  love.  Haerter  soon  became 
the  leader  in  a  number  of  charities,  and  his  principal 
achievement  was  the  Strassburg  Mother  House.  He  died 
in  the  Lord  in  the  year  1873.     The  institution  employs 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  State  Church.         83 

two  liuiKlred  and  sixty  deaconesses  in  fifty-nine  fields  of 
labor,  and  the  income  last  year  was  two  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand  Reichsmarks.  The  present  institution 
was  occupied  in  1853,  and  was  incorporated  in  the  same 
year. 

The   Elizabeth   Hospital   and   Deaconess   Home    in 
Berlin. 

This  institution  is  almost  as  old  as  Kaiserswerth;  at 
any  rate  it  ranks  second  chronologically.  Johannes 
Gossner,  pastor  of  the  Lutheran  Bethleliems-Gemeinde  in 
Berlin,  in  connection  with  several  Christian  friends, 
founded  a  Women's  Society  for  Healing  the  Sick  (Kran- 
l-enverein)  in  1833.  Its  express  purpose  was  to  "assist 
deserted,  helpless,  and  comfortless  women  by  tendering 
financial  aid  and  visiting  and  nursing  them  day  and 
night."  He  had  previously  organized  a  similar  society 
for  men,  and  it  now  appeared  that  the  care  of  the  sick 
of  both  sexes  required  a  hospital.  A  house  was  accord- 
ingly rented  and  arranged  for  this  purpose  on  Herschel 
Street,  July  9,  1836.  In  the  following  year  Gossner  was 
able  to  purchase  a  piece  of  land  near  the  Potsdamerthor 
for  twenty-two  thousand  thalers,  and  there  the  first 
Christian  hospital  in  Berlin  was  dedicated  to  God.  Her 
Royal  Majesty,  Princess  Marianna,  assumed  the  protec- 
torate. After  the  death  of  the  princess  (1846)  the  pro- 
tectorate of  the  institution  was  assumed  by  Queen  Eliza- 
beth, whose  name  the  hospital  had  borne  since  1838.  The 
hospital  and  Deaconess  Home  were  erected  in  1840,  and 
from  that  time  this  place  of  Christian  mercy  became 
a  center  for  the  care  of  the  female  sick  in  Berlin,  ^ot 
only  were  hundreds  received  and  nursed  annually  in  the 
beautiful  sick  wards,  but  the  sick  were  also  sought  out 
in  their  homes  by  the  members  of  the  society,  and  usually 


84  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

soup  was  furnished  ten  to  fifteen  thousand  patients  an- 
nually. It  was  not  Gossner's  intention  to  found  a  Dea- 
coness Institution;  he  even  avoided  the  name  "deaconess" 
purposely,  and  preferred  the  German  name  Pflegerin 
(nurse).  His  purpose  was  the  training  of  nurses  after 
the  pattern  of  the  Sisters  of  Mercy.  He  embodied  his 
principles  in  a  tract  entitled,  "How  Must  Christian 
Nurses  or  Evangelical  Sisters  of  Mercy  be  Constituted?'' 
The  Sisters  cared  for  the  sick  free  of  charge.  They  wore, 
like  the  deacones-ses,  a  uniform  garb,  but  they  were 
not  so  closely  organized,  and  therefore  the  Sisterhood  was 
subject  to  many  fluctuations.  Gossner  superintended  the 
Women's  Society  for  the  Care  of  the  Sick  and  the  Eliza- 
beth Hospital  for  twenty-five  years.  He  was,  to  iise  his 
own  words,  "inspector,  father  of  the  family,  secretary, 
packhorse,  all  in  one  person."  He  was  of  a  mystical  turn 
of  mind,  and  exerted  a  wide  influence  through  his  Chris- 
tian character  and  that  most  edifying  devotional  book 
known  as  "Gossner's  Schatzkaestchen."  Like  Haerter  in 
Strassburg,  he  gave  to  the  institution  the  impress  of  his 
own  independent  and  original  personality.  He  died 
March  30,  1858,  and  was  succeeded  by  Pastor  Prochnow, 
a  former  missionary  in  India.  A  new  era  opened  for  the 
institution  when,  in  1867,  Anna,  Countess  of  Arnim,  was 
appointed  head  deaconess  (Oberin).  It  numbers  at  pres- 
ent one  hundred  and  fifty-four  Sisters,  of  whom  the 
greater  number  are  employed  in  the  forty-three  different 
outlying  stations. 

The  Deaconess  Home  "Sarepta,"  near  Bielefeld. 

The  Mother  House  "Sarepta,"  near  Bielefeld,  is  the 
center  of  the  Deaconess  Work  in  Westphalia.  The  insti- 
tution was  founded  in  1869,  and  on  the  31st  of  March  of 
that  year  Inspector  Disselhoff,  of  Kaiserswerth,  dedicated 
the  newly-purchased  house  to  its  purposes.     With  four 


86 


History  of  the  Deacoxess  Movement. 


Sisters  from  Kaiserswerth  he  had  arrived  at  Bielefekl 
the  day  previous,  and  no  institution  has  from  its  very 
heginning  had  a  more  prosperous  growth  than  this  one. 
In  1872  Pastor  von  Bodelschwingh  assumed  the  super- 
intendency  of  the  institution,  and  at  once  planned  a  new 
buikling,  which  was  opened  two  years  later  and  named 
"Sarepta.^'     The  house  can  accommodate  four  hundred^ 


Deaconess  Home  •'  Sarepta,"  in  Bielefeld. 


and  twenty  patients  and  sixty  deaconesses.  The  origirial 
building  of  the  Mother  House  was  converted  into  an  in- 
firmary for  women  and  called  "Marienstift."  At  the 
tenth  anniversary,  in  1879,  the  number  of  deaconesses 
had  increased  to  two  hundred,  who  were  employed  at 
sixty-three  stations.  To-day  the  institution  has  the  fol- 
lowing branches : 

1.  Sarepta,    the    Mother    House    with     the     chapel. 
2.  Bethel,  for  female  epileptics.    3.  Xazareth,  the  Brother- 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  State  Church.         87 

hood  Home  with  the  Maltese  Cross.  4.  Ebenezer,  a  Home 
for  wards.  5.  Zoar^  a  Home  for  feeble-minded  boys. 
6.  Emmaus,  a  Home  for  feeble-minded  girls.  7.  Nain,  a 
Home  for  sick  young  men.  8.  Tabor,  a  Home  for  invalid 
men.  9.  Bersaba,  a  hospital  for  patients  from  the  higher 
stations  of  life.  10.  Bethanien,  a  hospital  for  the  same 
class.  11.  Gilgal,  workshop  for  tinners.  12.  Saron,  gar- 
den, with  seedstore.  13.  Sunem,  book-bindery  and  sales- 
room. 14.  Bethlehem,  bakery,  furnishing  bread  for  three 
thousand  persons.  15.  Bethlehem,  depository  for  maga- 
zines,    bookstore.       16.    Saba,     a     general     store-room. 


Some  of  the  Deaconess  Institutions  in  Bielefeld. 

17.  Morija,  a  Home  for  deranged  men.  18.  Magdala,  for 
deranged  women.  19.  Mamre,  a  farm  of  seventy  acres. 
20.  Hebron,  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres.  21.  Hephata, 
hospital  for  contagious  diseases.  22.  Bethabara,  inn  with 
small  lodging-place.  23.  Salem  (Old  and  New),  place  of 
recreation  for  convalescents  and  deaconesses.  24.  Be- 
thesda,  for  women  afflicted  with  nervous  diseases. 
25.  Sichem,  an  infirmary  for  men.  26.  Ophra,  for  feeble- 
minded boys.  27.  Three  parsonages.  28.  The  large 
Zion's  Church,  seating  twelve  hundred  people. 

The  donations  for  the  erection  of  Zion's  Church  came 
from  all  parts  of  the  world  in  over  sixteen  thousand  re- 


88  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

mittances,  the  donors  fcr  the  most  part  remaining 
unknown.  The  institution  covers  an  area  of  fifteen 
hundred  acres;  almost  all  the  buildings  have  Biblical 
names;  and  the  colony,  containing  about  seventy  larger 
and  smaller  buildings,  has  often  been  called  "The  Hill 
Country  of  Judah."  Here,  in  this  favored  region  of  Ra- 
vensberg,  a  city  of  compassion  has  been  built,  with  "Sa- 
repta,"  the  Deaconess  Institution,  as  its  center,  contain- 
ing more  than  nine  hundred  deaconesses.  The  Mother 
House  has  branch  institutions  in  Paris,  Nice,  Metz,  Ber- 
lin, Lemgo,  Arolsen,  Brussels,  and  in  Zanzibar  (East 
Africa). 

The  founder  and  superintendent  of  this  institution 
is  Pastor  Friedrich  von  Bodelschwingh.  His  father, 
Ernst  von  Bodelschwdngh,  was  Prussian  minister,  and 
subsequently  governmental  president.  He  was  born  in 
Haus-Mark,  near  Tecklenburg,  in  1831.  After  having 
first  chosen  the  calling  of  a  professional  miner,  then  that 
of  a  farmer,  he  relinquished  them  both  for  the  study 
of  theology.  Having  passed  his  examination,  he  w^as  ap- 
pointed as  pastor  of  the  German  Church  in  Paris  in  1858, 
at  Dellwick  in  Westphalia  in  1864,  and  in  1872  accepted 
a  call  as  superintendent  of  the  Institution  for  Epileptics 
at  Bielefeld,  which  had  been  founded  shortly  before. 
That  was  the  field  of  labor  in  which  he  achieved  his 
greatest  and  most  signal  success.  During  a  term  of  thirty 
years  he  sent  more  than  one  thousand  deaconesses  and 
deacons  into  the  service  of  suffering  humanity,  and  mighty 
streams  of  mercy  and  blessing  have  gone  forth  from  this 
place  for  the  alleviation  of  the  poor,  the  fallen,  and  the 
sick  in  body  and  soul.  Pastor  von  Bodelschwingh  is  a  veri- 
table general,  and  know^s  how  to  use  the  talents  of  the 
individual  in  the  proper  sphere  and  to  the  best  advan- 
tage.    Never  daunted,  he  has  the  gift  of  soliciting  aid 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  State  Church. 


89 


in  so  kind  and  gentle  a  manner  that  he  is  seldom  refused. 
Of  a  practical  mind,  with  clear  insight  into  details,  full 
of  happy  enthusiasm,  and,  above  all,  firmly  grounded  in 


Pastor  Friedrioh  von  Bodelsohwingh. 


his  trust  in  God,  which  has  been  tested  and  strength- 
ened by  the  tribulations  and  trials  of  a  lifetime,  he  is 
an  example  of  that  Christian  optimism  which  has  its 
secret  springs  in  the  love  of  God,  and  has  won  a  place  side 


00  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

by  side  with  such  great  and  blessed  men.  of  God  as  Wich- 
ern,  Fliedner,  Loehe,  August  Hermann  Franke,  George 
Mueller,  and  other  pioneers  in  the  multiform  work  of 
home  missions.  When  the  German  emperor  visited 
Bielefeld  in  1900  he  said:  "With  unbounded  amazement 
have  I  beheld  the  tremendous  achievements  of  this  man 
so  signally  blessed  and  commissioned  of  God.  Farther 
than  the  eye  can  reach  the  blessed  influence  of  this  true 
disciple  of  our  Lord  is  felt  in  our  German  Fatherland." 
Not  only  in  the  work  of  home  missions  did  von  Bodel- 
schwingh  labor  with  untiring  zeal,  but  his  influence  was 
also  widely  felt  in  the  work  of  foreign  missions  through 
his  close  relations  with  the  German  East  African  Mis- 
sion, Berlin  III.  In  recognition  of  his  unusual  merit, 
the  theological  faculty  of  the  University  of  Halle  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  in 
1884.  On  his  seventieth  anniversary  (March  6,  1891)  he 
received  congratulations  and  tokens  of  respect  from  all 
parts  of  the  world;  "  The  emperor  sent  him  a  congratu- 
latory telegram  fuil.  .of  warm  recognition  and  expressing 
the  hope  that  many  more  years,  of  blessed  activity  might 
be  added  to  his  life.  Von  Bodelschwingh's  favorite  words 
are,  "Our  need  is  not  greater  than  our  Helper."  The 
motto  of  the  Mother  House  "Sarepta"  is:  "Hereby  per- 
ceive we  the  love  of  God,  because  he  laid  down  his  life 
for  us;  and  we  ought  to  lay  down  our  lives  for  the  breth- 
ren." (1  John  iii,  16.)  It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  mention 
that  an  especially  intimate  relation  exists  between  the 
Mother  House  and  the  deaconesses  in  the  branch-stations. 
Besides  the  inspection  tours  made  by  the  chaplain  and 
the  head  deaconess  (Oberin),  a  letter  is  sent  once  a  month 
to  every  deaconess;  in  addition,  each  deaconess  receives 
the  "Westfaelische  Sonntagsblatt,"  which  contains  the 
news  of  the  institution  and  a  short  weekly  chronicle  of 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  State  Church.         91 

its  work  written  by  one  of  the  deaconesses.  Once  a  year, 
in  rotation,  the  deaconesses  attend  the  Conference  held 
in  the  Mother  House,  and  those  who  have  been  absent 
from  the  Mother  House  for  a  prolonged  period  are  occa- 
sionally transferred  to  stations  near  the  Mother  House, 
in  order  that  the  bond  of  fellowship  may  be  knit  the 
closer.  The  deaconesses  are  employed  in  three  hundred 
and  nineteen  different  stations  and  in  ninety-two  hos- 
pitals. The  annual  income  amounts  to  700,000  Eeichs- 
marks  ($175,000).  In  ninety-three  stations  two  hundred 
and  fifty-one  deacons  (brothers)  are  at  work,  of  whom 
fifty-seven  are  unmarried,  and  one  hundred  and  eighteen 
are  employed  in  thirty-seven  homes  for  epileptics. 

The  Deaconess  Institute  in  Neuendettelsau. 

The  first  Deaconess  Institute  in  the  kingdom  of 
Bavaria  Avas  founded  by  Pastor  Wilhelm  Loehe  in  1854. 
Among  the  most  prosperous  Mother  Houses  in  Germany 
this  institute  is  worthy  of  special  mention,  since  it  be- 
longs to  the  most  successful  and  extensive  enterprises  of 
its  kind,  and  bears  the  characteristic  peculiarity  of  its 
founder.  Originally  Loehe  did  not  intend  to  found  a 
Deaconess  Mother  House,  but  only  to  train  a  small  num- 
ber of  women  for  professional  service  in  the  work  of 
Christian  charity.  He  named  his  society  "Lutherischer 
Verein  fuer  Weibliche  Diakonie."  Through  it,  and  the 
founding  of  similar  societies,  he  intended  to  kindle  "a 
fire  of  mercy"  in  all  the  land,  and  everywhere  to  awaken 
the  spirit  of  Christian  benevolence.  On  the  13th  of 
March,  1854,  six  women  and  eight  pastors  assembled  in 
Neuendettelsau,  and  this  company  constituted  itself  as  a 
Central  Board.  The  purpose  was  not  realized,  for  it 
soon  became  apparent  that  chief  stress  must  not  be 
placed  upon  the   organizing   of   societies,   but  upon   the 


92         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

founding  and  building  up  of  Deaconess  Institutions;  and 
Pastor  Loehe  was  the  first  to  realize  this  and  to  try 
to  correct  his  mistake.  The  beginning  of  the  Mother 
House  was  very  modest.  Several  rooms  were  rented  in 
the  inn  ^^Zur  Sonne/^  and  here  several  deaconesses  moved 
in  1854.  Loehe  now  secured  an  interest-bearing  loan,  and 
purchased  a  house.  He  afterwards  related  that  his 
financial  straits  were  frequently  so  great  that  the  waters 
reached  his  neck  and  threatened  to  overwhelm  him.  He 
could  not  boast  of  experiences  like  those  of  August  Her- 
mann Franke,  who  so  often  received  financial  aid  in  a 
miraculous  manner.  He  also  said  that  he  did  not  possess 
the  gift  of  that  great  and  successful  beggar  (he  undoubt- 
edly means  Fliedner),  of  whom  King  Frederick  William 
IV  said,  with  a  smile,  "I  avoid  him,  because  from  him 
even  the  calf  in  the  cow  is  not  safe;"  that  nevertheless 
God  had  been  gracious  to  him  and  had  given  him  suc- 
cess, so  that  he  could  neither  number  nor  weigh  all  the 
blessings  received,  and  that  he  was  one  of  the  many  in 
whose  life  the  words  of  Mary  had  been  verified:  "He 
hath  filled  the  hungry  with  good  things,  and  the  rich  he 
hath  sent  empty  away."  The  Lord  owned  Loehe^s  work 
in  such  extraordinary  manner  that  to-day  there  are  but 
few  branches  of  charitable  work  that  are  not  represented 
at  Neuendettelsau.  The  Deaconess  Mother  House,  with 
its  branch  institutions,  surpasses  Loehe's  most  sanguine 
expectations,  and  has  been  called  a  "university  of  mercy." 
Loehe  was  an  extraordinary  man.  He  was  broad- 
minded,  original,  thoroughly  prepared  for  his  calling,  and 
possessed  a  capacity  for  work  equaled  by  few.  He  de- 
scended from  an  honorable  burgher  family  of  the 
Bavarian  city  Fuerth,  where  he  was  born  February  21, 
1808.  His  parents  gave  him  a  thorough  classical  train- 
ing, and  later  he  turned  to  the  study  of  theology.     At 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  Stx\.te  Church. 


93 


the  age  of  twenty-nine  he  became  pastor  in  the 
Franconian  town  of  Neuendettelsau.  The  great  mind  of 
the  man  reached  far  beyond  the  small  village  parish,  and 
in  1841  he  organized  the  American  mission,  through 
which  he  exerted  a  great  influence  on  the  character  of 


Pastor  Wilhelm  Loehe. 


the  Lutheran  Church  in  America  by  sending  numerous 
missionaries  thither  to  organize  Churches  for  the  large 
number  of  Germans  destitute  of  proper  ecclesiastical  care. 
Later  he  founded  a  mission  house  for  the  training  of 
such  missionaries,  and  in  connection  therewith  he  also 
organized  a  society  for  home  missions,  through  which  he 


94  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

promoted  the  distribution  of  literature.  Gradually  insti- 
tution after  institution  arose  in  Neuendettelsau.  The 
erection  of  the  Deaconess  Home  was  followed  by  the 
erection  of  a  benefice,  a  village  hospital,  an  institution 
for  feeble-minded,  a  house  of  refuge  for  girls,  a  Magdalen 
Asylum,  and  an  institution  for  epileptics.  Then  he 
founded  a  district  hospital,  a  manual-training  school,  a 
retreat  for  the  sick  and  for  invalid  deaconesses,  a  lodg- 
ing-place, and  numerous  other  buildings  and  Homes,  un- 
til finally  a  whole  village  of  Christian  institutions  had 
arisen,  and  a  network  of  charitable  institutions  had  been 
spread  over  Bavaria.  He  called  the  vocation  of  a 
deaconess  a  service  of  mercy,  and  in  the  broader  sense 
of  the  term  a  ministering  to  the  wretched,  the  poor,  the 
sick,  and  the  imprisoned,  and  the  care,  instruction,  and 
training  of  the  children.  He  aimed  at  a  wide  range  for 
Deaconess  Work.  It  was  to  include  both  the  most  menial 
and  the  most  exalted  service  of  woman.  He  spoke  the 
following  beautiful  and  well-known  words:  ^'A  deaconess 
must  know  and  be  able  to  do  that  which  is  lowly  and 
that  which  is  great;  she  must  not  be  ashamed  of  the 
lowliest  service,  and  must  not  prejudice  the  highest  work 
of  woman;  her  hands  and  feet  must  be  in  the  service 
of  the  higher,  but  also  of  the  coarser  and  meaner  forms 
of  labor;  her  head  must  bathe  in  the  sunlight  of  true 
devotion  and  the  fellowship  of  her  Master.  She  should 
do  all  unto  Him:  work,  play,  and  sing.'^  He  describes 
the  difference  between  the  vow  of  the  nun  and  the  evan- 
gelical liberty  of  the  deaconess  as  follows:  "The  three 
characteristic  words  of  the  Roman  Catholic  orders — 
poverty,  chastity,  and  obedience — are  also  the  character- 
istic words  of  all  true  service  in  the  female  diaconate, 
and  the  only  possible  difference  between  the  old  Church 
and  ourselves  is,  that  in  the  old  Church  a  will  bound  by 


Deaconess  Work  ix  the  State  Church.         95 

vow,  among  us  a  wholly  unbound  free  will,  both  bear  the 
same  threefold  noble  fruit.  A  free  will  is  the  soil  in 
which  the  Protestant  female  diaconate  must  grow,  a  will 
wholly  unbound  in  its  daily  renewal" 

Various  circumstances  made  it  possible  that  the 
deaconesses  in  Xeuendettelsau  could  be  trained  more 
systematically  and  more  extensively  than  in  most  institu- 
tions. Loehe  also  developed  an  astonishing  literary  fer- 
tility, having  written  about  sixty  larger  and  smaller 
pamphlets  and  books.  On  the  2d  of  January,  1872,  this 
great  man  entered  into  the  rest  that  remaineth  to  the 
people  of  God.  He  can  well  be  reckoned  among  the 
brightest  lights  of  the  Lutheran  Church  of  modern  times. 
His  last  resting-place  is  in  the  parish  cemetery  of  N'euen- 
dettelsau.  He  was  followed  by  Pastor  Friedrich  Meyer, 
of  Hesse-Darmstadt,  who  succeeded  in  carrying  forward 
the  great  work  in  the  mind  and  spirit  of  Loehe.  To-day 
more  than  five  hundred  deaconesses  belong  to  the  Mother 
House  in  Xeuendettelsau,  sixty-one  of  whom  are  daugh- 
ters of  pastors,  and  a  great  number  of  .whom  have  served 
twenty-five  years.  The  Deacons'  Institution  numbers 
thirty-two  brethren.  The  lodging-place  was  frequented 
by  eight  hundred  and  thirty-five  guests  last  year.  The 
deaconesses  are  employed  in  forty-three  different  hos- 
pitals and  in  one  hundred  and  seventy-three  different 
fields  of  labor.  The  annual  income  is  450,000  marks 
($112,500.) 

The  Evangelic-Lutheran  Deaconess  Institution  in 
Altona. 

This  institution  was  begun  in  1867  upon  the  instiga- 
tion of  Pastor  Dr.  K.  L.  Biernatzki.  Although  the 
Deaconess  Work  had  spread  over  many  parts  of  Ger- 
many, it  had  as  yet  gained  no  footing  in   Schleswig- 


96 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


Holstein.  Dr.  Biernatzki,  who  at  the  time  was  pastor 
of  the  principal  Church  in  Altona,  ventured  accordingly 
to  propose  the  founding  of  a  Deaconess  Home.  To  his 
great  joy  the  proposition  met  everywhere  with  hearty 
approval.  On  December  28,  1867,  a  house  was  opened 
for  this  purpose,  and  the  deaconesses  were  to  be  trained 


Deaconess  Home  in  Altona. 


in  the  city  hospital,  situated  just  opposite.  It  soon  ap- 
peared, however,  that  this  arrangement  did  not  meet 
the  requirements,  and  the  erection  of  a  hospital  was 
begun.  The  institution  progressed  satisfactorily,  and 
soon  needed  its  own  pastor.  Pastor  Theodor  Schaefer 
was  chosen  for  the  place,  and  entered  upon  his  new  office 
September  5,  1872.  He  proved  to  be  the  proper  man 
for  the   superintendency   of  the   institution,   and  under 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  State  Church.         97 

his  direction  the  work  became  very  flourishing.  He  at 
once  planned  a  new  building,  which  was  ready  for  dedi- 
cation and  use  October  13,  1875. 

Pastor  Theodore  Schaefer  was  born  February  17, 
1846,  and  is  the  son  of  the  founder  and  rector  of  the 
blind  asylum  in  Friedberg,  Hessen.  Having  completed 
a  university  course,  he  accepted  a  call  as  Lutheran  pas- 
tor in  Paris,  from  where  he  went  to  Altona  in  1872. 
Accustomed  to  subject  everything  to  the  most  search- 
ing investigation,  he  also  studied  the  Deaconess  Work 
most  thoroughly,  being  led  especially  into  the  field  of 
its  literature,  where  he  himself  became  extraordinarily 
productive  as  a  writer  during  the  last  two  decades.  On 
the  line  of  home  missions,  and  especially  of  the  diaconate, 
he  has  in  fact  created  a  literature  that  has  been  of  in- 
calculable benefit  to  the  work.  Of  the  great  number  of 
his  works  we  mention  the  following:  ^'Die  Weibliche 
Diakonie  in  ihrem  Ganzen  Umfang  Dargestellt,^^  3  vols.; 
"Diakonissen-Katechismus;"  "Die  Innere  Mission  in  der 
Schule;"  "Im  Dienste  der  Liebe,  Skizzen  zur  Diakonis- 
sensache;"  "Die  Innere  Mission  auf  der  Kanzel;"  "Keden 
und  Predigten  von  dem  Gebiete  der  Diakonie  und  Inneren 
Mission;"  "Praktisches  Christentum,"  3  vols.;  "Leitfaden 
der  Inneren  Mission;"  "Zur  Erinnerung  an  die  Diakonis- 
sen-Einsegnung;"  "Die  Innere  Mission  in  Deutsehland," 
6  vols.  In  addition,  Pastor  Schaefer  wrote  numerous 
contributions  for  periodicals  and  magazines,  and  his 
Monthly  for  Home  Missions  well  deserves  its  wide  cir- 
culation. Special  mention  is  due  his  latest  work, 
"Evangelisches  Volkslexikon  zur  Orientierung  in  den 
Sozialen  Fragen  der  Gegenwart."  The  articles  con- 
tained in  this  work  number  five  hundred  and  seventeen, 
and  in  its  production  the  author  was  assisted  by  fifty 
contributors,  mostly  specialists.  Pastor  Schaefer  has  ac- 
7 


-#■ 


Pastor  Theodor  Schaefer,  Rector  in  Altona. 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  State  Church.         99 

complished  more  in  the  work  of  home  missions  than  the 
indefatigable  Dr.  Warneck  in  the  work  of  foreign  mis- 
sions. 

One  hundred  and  fourteen  deaconesses  belong  to 
the  Deaconess  Home  in  Altona,  who  are  emplo3^ed  in 
fifty-five  different  fields  of  labor  and  in  nine  hospitals. 
Its  territory  is  principally  the  province  of  Schleswig- 
Holstein,  and  the  management  is  for  the  main  part  in- 
trusted to  the  chaplain  of  the  institution.  The  Board  of 
Directors  consists  of  twenty-one  members. 

Since  1874  a  Deaconess  Institution  has  been  built  in 
Flensburg,  in  the  same  province,  with  one  hundred  and 
sixty-three  deaconesses,  who  are  employed  in  sixty-three 
fields  of  labor.  The  Flensburg  Mother  House  was  com- 
pleted in  1883.  It  has  a  capacity  for  one  hundred  beds,  and 
in  point  of  location  and  arrangement  of  the  buildings,  is 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  Mother  Houses  in  Germany. 

The  Deaconess  Institution  in  Stuttgart. 

Wurtemberg,  which  has  proven  such  a  blessing  to  all 
institutions  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  has  a  Mother  House 
in  Stuttgart,  the  charming  capital,  in  the  founding  of 
which  the  former  prelate  von  Kapff  had  an  important 
part.  A  public  appeal  in  1853  was  the  first  incitement 
towards  this  object,  and  on  March  18,  1855,  a  house  was 
bought,  into  which  eight  deaconesses  moved.  As  long 
as  the  institution  had  no  hospital,  the  deaconesses  re- 
ceived their  training  in  practical  nursing  in  the  Strass- 
burg  Deaconess  Home.  At  first  they  devoted  themselves 
almost  exclusively  to  the  care  of  the  sick,  since  there 
were  numerous  societies  and  institutions  in  Wurtemberg 
at  that  time  that  were  active  in  the  various  branches  of 
home  missions.  The  institution  prospered  greatly  under 
the  superintendency  of  Pastor  C.  Hofi:mann  particularly, 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  State  Church.       101 

who  was  chaplain  for  many  years.  From  the  beginning 
it  has  been  nnder  the  protectorate  of  Her  Majesty,  the 
Queen  of  Wurtemberg.  The  royal  family  has  shown  a 
continued  interest  in  the  institution,  and  has  given  it  a 
liberal  financial  support.  The  immediate  management 
is  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  chaplain  and  the  head 
deaconess  (Oberin),  but  the  Board  of  Directors  reserves 
for  itself  the  right  of  decision  in  all  questions  of  special 
importance.  The  course  of  instruction  begins  twice  a 
year,  and  from  the  beginning  the  institution  has  laid 
great  stress  upon  a  thorough  training.  The  building  is 
beautifully  located  and  excellently  arranged.  The  Rest 
Home  is  in  Oberesslingen.  It  is  situated  in  the  center 
of  a  garden  of  four  acres,  and  its  surroundings  are  very 
attractive.  The  fields  of  labor  are  divided  as  follows : 
1.  Parish  work;  2.  Hospital  nursing;  3.  Hospitals  for 
beneficiaries;  4.  Nurseries;  5.  Kindergartens  and  ref- 
uges for  children;  6.  Homes  for  servants  and  women; 
7.  Magdalen  Asylums;  8.  Private  nursing.  There  are 
seven  hundred  and  thirty-five  deaconesses  in  the 
institution,  who  are  employed  in  one  hundred  and 
seventy-two  different  fields  of  labor.  The  annual  income 
is  375,000  Reichsmarks. 

The  Deaconess   Institution   "Bethlehem"   in   Ham- 
burg. 

We  speak  of  this  Deaconess  Institution  at  some  length 
also,  because,  like  the  Strassburg  Institution  and  the 
Elizabeth  Hospital  and  Deaconess  Home  in  Berlin,  it 
differs  in  many  respects  from  all  other  institutions,  and 
because  we  would  make  mention  in  this  connection  of  a 
man  w^ho  has  accomplished  great  things  in  the  realm  of 
home  missions,  and  whose  name  has  become  known  far 
beyond  the  bounds  of  the  old  Fatherland.    From  the  be- 


102        History  or  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

ginning  the  Mother  House  "Bethlehem"  refrained  from 
founding  branch  stations,  and  restricted  the  activity  of 
the  deaconesses  to  the  Mother  House  itself.  The  found- 
er's motto  was,  "Out  of  the  congregation  for  the  congre- 
gation." After 
h  i  s  d  e  a  t  h  this 
principle  could 
not  be  adhered  to; 
but  even  now  the 
deaconesses  serve 
onlv  the  poor  and 
poorest,  and 
wealthier  families 
can  rarely  secure 
a  nurse.  It  was  a 
maxim  of  the  in- 
stitution that  the 
Sisters  serve  only 
the  poor  and 
lowly,  and  the 
means  necessary 
for  the  support 
of  the  institution 
were     to    be     ob- 

ReV.  KARI,  WlIiHELM  TheODOR  NINCK.  ■         •  -,      ,^  i 

tamed  through 
charitable  gifts  to  a  greater  extent  than  was  the  case  in 
other  institutions. 

The  person  referred  to  above  is  Pastor  Karl  Wilhelm 
Theodor  Ninck,  who  founded  the  Deaconess  Home 
"Bethlehem,"  and  erected  its  imposing  edifice.  Ninck 
was  a  man  of  diversified  gifts.  Besides  promoting  the 
Deaconess  Cause,  he  was  a  productive  writer,  and  organ- 
ized the  workingmen's  colony  on  the  heights  of  Anschar, 
near  Hamburg-Eppendorf .    He  was  at  the  same  time  pas- 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  State  Church.      103 

tor  of  a  large  congregation,  inspector  of  the  school  con- 
nected with  the  institution,  and  founder  of  an  asylum  in 
Mecklenburg.  He  devoted  special  care  to  the  children's 
service,  promoted  the  social  idea  of  the  community,  was 
interested  in  the  Bremen  ^N'orth  German  Mission,  founded 
a  sailors'  mission,  and  reorganized  the  Netherland  Tract 
Society.  He  was  the  able  editor  of  the  family  magazine 
Nachhar  and  the  periodical  Deutscher  Kinderfreund,  both 
of  which  had  an  enormous  circulation.  Ninck's  main 
work,  however,  was  the  founding  and  superintending  of 
the  Mother  House  "Bethlehem,"  which  to-day  numbers 
one  hundred  deaconesses.  He  died  December  17,  1887, 
after  a  severe  and  protracted  illness.  For  his  funeral  ad- 
dress he  had  chosen  the  words,  "Da  kommt  ein  armer 
Suender  her,  der  gern  ums  Loesgeld  selig  waer.''  His 
death  was  mourned  far  beyond  the  bounds  of  Germany, 
while  his  w^ork  survives. 

The  Deaconess  Home  in  Leipzig. 

The  impulse  towards  the  founding  of  this  institution 
was  given  by  Dr.  Pank,  member  of  the  Privy  Church 
Council.  In  1887  he  formed  a  union  of  a  number  of 
parish  and  other  local  societies  whose  object  was  declared 
to  be  "the  care  of  the  poor  and  the  sick  in  Leipzig 
through  deaconesses,  irrespective  of  religion  or  creed." 
An  unexpected  gift  of  50,000  marks  plainly  showed  that 
Divine  Providence  had  pointed  out  the  way  for  the 
founding  of  such  an  institution.  Accordingly  Dr.  Pank 
issued  an  appeal,  in  response  to  which  the  Union  received 
large  gifts,  so  that  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  there 
were  nearly  half  a  million  marks  in  the  building  fund. 
When,  in  the  year  1890,  it  had  been  decided  to  found 
an  institution.  Dr.  Pank  issued  a  call  for  deaconesses. 
Of  those  who  responded,  eight  were  found  acceptable. 


104        History  of  thi<]  Deaconess  Movement. 


The  villa  of  Count  Hinterthal-Doelkau,  Weststrasse  9, 
was  rented  for  several  years  for  a  comparatively  small 
sum,  and  for  the  time  being  the  deaconesses  received 
their  training  in  practical  nursing  in  the  Jakobi  Hos- 
pital. The  office  of  chaplain  was  intrusted  to  Pastor 
Schultz,  of  the  Georgienkirche.  The  number  of  deacon- 
esses increased,  and  when,  on  March  5,  1893,  the  first 
head  deaconess   (Oberin),  Honorary  Patroness  Elsa  von 

W  e  r  d  e  c  k ,  was  in- 
stalled into  her  new 
office  there  were 
thirty-six  deaconesses 
in  the  institution, 
and  after  seven  more 
years  (1900)  the  num- 
ber had  increased  to 
one  hundred.  I  n 
1892  a  kindergarten 
was  established,  and 
in  1893  the  first 
branch  station  in 
parish  nursing  (Grimma)  was  begun,  and  now  more  at- 
tention could  be  devoted  to  private  nursing.  At  the 
close  of  1899  there  were  twenty-one  deaconesses  em- 
ployed in  parish  nursing,  twenty-two  in  the  city  and  uni- 
vergity  hospitals,  sanitariums,  and  the  surgical  poly- 
technic institute  of  Leipzig,  six  in  private  nursing  in 
Leipzig,  and  sixteeen  in  sixteen  branch  stations  of  the 
Leipzig  district  and  the  Voigtland.  To-day  the  institu- 
tion has  forty-three  different  fields  of  labor  and  takes  care 
of  eight  hospitals. 

In  1895  the  City  Council  donated  a  magnificent  build- 
ing site  on  Luetzenerstrasse  for  the  erection  of  a 
Deaconess  Home,  and  on  the  first  day  of  October,  1900, 


Deaconess  Home  in  Leipzig. 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  State  Church.       105 

the  vast  complex  of  buildings  was  dedicated.  In  the  cen- 
ter is  the  Deaconess  Home,  with  its  massive  tower,  and 
surrounded  hy  a  beautiful  park.  The  cost  of  the  build- 
ings that  have  been  finished  up  to  the  present  time  is 
867,000  marks,  and  considerable  sums  will  yet  be  neces- 
sary before  the  complex  of  buildings  will  be  completed  as 
planned.  Though  the  youngest,  this  institution  may  be 
considered  a  model  Deaconess  Institution  in  point  of 
location  and  arrangement. 

Deaconess  Home  "Henrietta  Stift'^  in  Hanover. 

This  institution  owes  its  origin  to  Queen  Maria,  who 
personally  donated  the  princely  gift  of  150,000  marks. 
The  spiritual  direction  of  this  large  and  growing  institu- 
tion has,  from  the  beginning,  been  intrusted  to  the  able 
abbot.  Dr.  Gerhard  Uhlhorn,  so  well  known  in  the  United 
States  through  his  excellent  work,  "Die  Christliche 
Liebesthaetigkeit." 

Dr.  Gerhard  Uhlhorn  was  born  on  the  26th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1826,  at  Osnabrueck.  He  studied  theology,  and 
in  1855  was  made  assistant  pastor  at  the  court  church 
at  Hanover;  then  consistorial  counselor  and  court 
preacher  at  the  same  place.  In  1863  he  was  appointed 
high  consistory  counselor;  in  1866  he  entered  the  newly- 
erected  country  consistory,  where  he  remained  until  his 
death  (December  15,  1901),  having  been  the  first  clerical 
member  of  this  body  since  the  death  of  Abbot  Kupstein  in 
1876,  and  appointed  to  the  abbotship  at  Loccum  in  1878. 

He  was  a  man  of  untiring  diligence,  clear  thought, 
sober  love  of  the  truth,  penetrating  sagacity,  and  the 
possessor  of  a  happy  faculty  of  combining  and  formulat- 
ing truth.  His  earliest  studies  were  devoted  to  the  primi- 
tive Church.  He  met  the  views  of  modern  criticism  by 
his  "Modern  Presentations  of  the  Life  of  Jesus,'^  written 


106 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


in  a  popular  style  (1865,  fourth  revised  edition  in  1892). 
In  his  "The  Battle  of  Christianity  with  Paganism/'  the 
ripe  fruit  of  his  earlier  studies  is  gathered,  and  this 
work  has  prohably  brought  him  more  fame  and  dis- 
tinction in  remote   circles   than   any   others.      This   was 

followed  by  the  "Bat- 
tles and  Victories  of 


the 
d" 
his 
the 


Christianity  in 
Germanic  W  o  r 
(1898).  Among 
historical  works 
prize  should  be 
awarded  to  that  on 
"Christian  Benevo- 
lence" (second  edition 
1895).  This  paved, 
for  the  first  time,  the 
way  to  a  domain 
hitherto  untrodden, 
and  furnishes  us  a 
most  intelligent  and 
fascinating  insight 
into  this  sphere.  But 
lucidity  is  a  charac- 
teristic of  all  of  Uhlhorn's  works.  The  Hanover  Home 
has  three  hundred  and  fifty-two  deaconesses,  and  occupies 
one  hundred  and  fifty-two  different  fields  of  labor.  Ex- 
penditure, $75,000  annually.     Buildings  (see  next  page). 

The  Deaconess  Home  of  the  Moravians  at  Niesky. 

From  the  first  the  Moravians  took  an  active  part  in 
the  Deaconess  Cause.  Count  Zinzendorf,  their  founder, 
consecrated  a  number  of  deaconesses  in  1745  by  the  im- 
position of  hands.  Their  position  and  the  functions  of 
their  office  corresponded  exactly  with  those  of  the  deacon- 


Dr.  Gerhard  Uhlhorn. 


108 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


esses  of  apostolic  times.  In  their  work  they  were  en- 
tirely restricted  to  the  female  sex;  and,  besides  caring 
for  the  sick,  they  assisted  in  certain  parts  of  Divine  wor- 
ship. They  performed  the  customary  ceremonial  act  of 
washing  of  feet,  handed  the  consecrated  bread  for  the 
sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  to  the  officiating  deacon, 
had  charge  of  the  houses  of  worship  and  places  of  as- 


Deaooness  Home  "  Emmaus,"  in  Niesky. 


sembly,  and  were  intrusted  with  the  oversight  and  train- 
ing of  the  younger  girls.  The  office  has  been  retained 
among  the  Moravians,  but  those  holding  it  are  no  longer 
called  deaconesses,  although  they  are  still  consecrated  to 
their  office  by  the  Church. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  when,  in  1842,  Hermann 
Plitt,  the  second  founder  of  the  Deaconess  Work  among 
the  Moravians,  incited  by  the  success  in  Kaiserswerth, 
became  impressed  with  the  idea  of  renewing  the  office 
introduced  by  Zinzendorf.    He  issued  an  appeal  that  was 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  State  Church.       109 

not  in  vain;  but  the  founding  of  an  institution  could  not 
be  begun  before  the  year  1864.  Plitt  rented  the  upper 
story  of  a  dwelling  in  the  village  of  Pawlowitzky,  near 
Gnadenfeld,  and  dedicated  the  same  May  6,  1866,  nam- 
ing it  "Heinrichsstift/^     The  first  gift  has  a  wonderful 


Deaconess  Home  in  Karlsruhe. 


story.  During  the  great  revival  among  the  Moravians 
in  Niesky  in  the  forties  a  male  nurse  named  Koeler  was 
thoroughly  converted  to  God.  Among  his  patients  there 
was  a  son  of  the  deceased  Prince  Henry.  The  latter,  de- 
siring to  send  his  elder  sister,  the  reigning  Duchess 
Auguste  of  Mecklenburg-Schwerin,  a  birthday  present, 
decided  to  use  for  this  purpose  a  dollar  (Thaler)  to  which 
a  peculiar  significance  attached.  He  decided  to  present 
his  sister  with  a  devotional  book  of  Zinzendorf's,  and 


110        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

commissioned  his  nurse  to  procure  the  same.  The  latter 
paid  for  the  book  out  of  his  own  pocket,  and  kept  the 
dollar,  Avhich  seemed  to  him  to  be  a  treasure  on  account 
of  its  history.  The  subsequent  history  of  this  dollar  was 
also  noteworthy,  and  finally  it  became  the  first  building- 
stone  for  the  foundation  of  the  blessed  institution  "Hein- 
richsstift."  Of  the  two  nurses  that  entered  the  newly- 
founded   institution,   one   had  been   trained   in   Kaisers- 


Deaconess  Home  in  Frankfort  on  the  Main. 

werth.  The  Heinrichsstift  was  soon  known  far  and  wide, 
and  in  1869  the  foundation  of  a  new  building  was  laid. 
Meanwhile  an  orphanage  and  an  asylum  for  the  aged  and 
the  invalid  had  arisen  alongside  the  Heinrichsstift.  The 
new  house  was  dedicated  September  28,  1870,  and  was 
the  first  Deaconess  Home  of  the  Moravians.  Means  were 
now  received  more  abundantly,  and  many  royal  persons 
gave  large  gifts.  In  1879  branch  stations  were  begun, 
for  the  number  of  deaconesses  had  increased  to  fifty.  The 
year   1880   marked   a  significant  change.     Pastor   Plitt, 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  State  Church.       Ill 

the  founder  of  the  institution,  was  forced  by  failing 
health  to  resign  his  position  at  the  theological  seminary 
of  the  Moravians  and  to  withdraw  from  the  superin- 
tendency  of  the  Deaconess  Work.  He  was  succeeded  by 
his  friend,  Professor  Wilhelm  A^erbeek.  Notwithstand- 
ing his  departure  from  Gnadenfeld,  Plitt  remained  in 
close  touch  with  the  work,  and,  when  he  had  sufficiently 
regained  his  health,  resumed  the  superintendency,  which, 
however,  through  a  decision  of  the  Moravians,  made  a 
change  of  residence  necessary.  The  institution  was 
therefore  removed  from  Gnadenfeld  to  Niesky.  On  July  3, 
1883,  the  house  bought  there,  and  named  "Emmaus,^^  was 
opened,  and  two  years  later  a  permanent  building  had 
been  erected  and  dedicated.  The  number  of  deaconesses 
now  increased  rapidly,  and  the  necessity  of  enlarging  the 
institution  to  a  Mother  House  became  more  and  more 
apparent.  At  the  opening  of  the  new  century  sixty  dea- 
conesses moved  into  the  new  building.  In  October,  1897, 
the  first  missionary  deaconess  went  to  India,  to  devote 
herself  chiefly  to  the  care  of  lepers.  In  1898  the  insti- 
tution joined  the  Kaiserswerth  General  Conference.  The 
Home  has  forty  different  fields  of  labor  and  an  annual 
income  of  $50,000. 

The  Evangelical  Lutheran  Deaconess  Institution 

IN    GUBEN. 

The  Evangelical  Lutheran  Deaconess  Institution 
"Xaemi-Wilkestift"  was  begun  by  Mr.  Friedrich  Wilke 
in  1878  by  the  founding  of  a  children's  hospital,  to  which 
a  year  later  a  refuge  for  children  was  added.  Deaconesses 
of  the  Dresden  institution  had  charge  of  the  educational 
part  of  the  work.  In  1882  Mr.  Wilke  offered  the  Church 
authorities  in  Breslau  a  piece  of  land  and  the  sum  of 
fifty  thousand  marks  for  the  founding  of  an  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Deaconess  Institution.     He  intended  to  place 


112        History  of  the  Deacoxess  Movement. 

the  institution  under  the  control  of  a  Mother  House. 
But  as  negotiations  continued  for  several  years,  he  finally 
founded  a  Deaconess  Home  alongside  of  the  children's 
hospital  and  the  hospital  for  adults.  Up  to  the  close  of 
the  negotiations  just  mentioned  the  entire  institution  was 
supported  by  Mr.  Wilke  as  the  sole  proprietor,  until 
finally  the  whole  matter  could  be  turned  over  to  the 
Church  authorities.  The  institution  was  named  "Naemi- 
Wilkestift,  Hospital,  and  Evangelical  Lutheran  Deacon- 
ess Institution,"  and  in  1889  it  was  granted  full  chartered 
privileges.  Since  that  time  it  has  been  under  the  charge 
of  the  Consistorial  Board  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  in  Prussia.  Besides  a  fund  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  marks  in  cash,  the  institution  has  at  its 
disposal  the  following  buildings:  1.  The  Deaconess 
Mother  House;  2.  A  hospital  with  thirty-six  beds;  3.  An 
insane  asylum;  4.  A  preparatory  school  for  deaf-mutes; 
5.  A  refuge  for  children.  In  addition  it  has  twenty-two 
branch  stations,  as  follows:  A  hospital,  an  infirmary,  a 
nursery,  an  asylum  for  women,  a  training-school  for  girls, 
two  Homes  for  convalescents,  five  schools  for  children,  and 
nine  stations  for  parish  work.  In  1901  the  institution 
also  assumed  the  management  of  the  newly-founded  Lu- 
theran Mother  House,  House  of  Mercy  (Wiskiti),  in  the 
government  district  of  Washaw,  in  Kussia.  There  are 
forty  deaconesses  connected  with  the  institution.  Of  all 
Mother  Houses  mentioned  in  this  chapter,  this  is  the 
only  one  not  belonging  to  the  Kaiserswerth  Union. 

Of  fifty  Deaconess  Mother  Houses  in  the  old  Father- 
land that  belong  to  the  Union  of  the  Kaiserswerth  Gen- 
eral Conference,  we  have  selected  a  number,  and  have 
tried  to  show  the  history  of  their  development.  The 
history  of  the  remaining  institutions  is  not  less  interest- 
ing, and  the  hand  of  Divine  Providence  is  no  less  manifest 


Deacoxess  Work  in  the  State  Church.       113 

in  their  development;  but  it  would  carry  us  beyond  the 
intended  scope  of  this  work  if  we  entered  upon  the  his- 
tory of  each  separate  institution,  however  interesting  it 
might  be.  We  must  therefore  content  ourselves  with  a 
brief  reference  and  a  tabulated  summary.  To-day  almost 
every  State  and  province  of  the  Fatherland  has  its 
own  Mother  House,  and  in  most  of  the  great  cities  there 
are  several  institutions.  Berlin  alone,  for  example,  has 
six  institutions  belonging  to  the  Kaiserswerth  Union. 
Foremost  among  these  is  the  beautiful  Elizabeth  Hospital, 
founded  in  1837,  and  Bethanien,  founded  ten  years  later 
through  the  liberality  of  King  Frederick  William  IV. 
These  institutions  were  spoken  of  at  greater  length  above. 
In  1865  the  Lazarus  Hospital,  in  1876  the  Paul  Gerhardt- 
Stift,  in  1887  the  Elizabeth  Children's  Hospital,  and  in 
1888  the  Magdalen  Hospital  were  founded.  Saxony  has 
three  Mother  Houses  belonging  to  the  State  Church.  The 
principal  one  is  that  in  Dresden,  founded  in  1841,  one 
of  the  oldest  Mother  Houses  (see  next  page).  Second 
only  to  it  is  the  new  institution  in  Leipzig,  which  was 
established  in  1890,  and  has  grown  phenomenally.  The 
institution  Borsdorf,  near  Leipzig,  was  founded  in  1896, 
and  has  a  promising  future.  In  1850  the  institution  in 
Breslau  and  that  in  Koenigsberg  were  established.  These 
two  institutions  together  have  nearly  one  thousand  dea- 
conesses, stationed  in  many  hundred  fields  of  labor  in 
Northern  Germany.  In  1851  the  prosperous  institutions 
in  Ludwigslust  and  Karlsruhe  were  founded.  The  insti- 
tutions in  Neuendettelsau  and  Stuttgart  were  begun  in 
1854.  Then  followed  the  founding  of  Mother  Houses  in 
Augsburg  in  the  year  1855,  in  Halle  on  the  Saale  (1857), 
in  Darmstadt  (1858),  in  Speyer  (1859),  in  Hanover  and 
Craschnitz  (1860).  The  impulse  for  the  founding  of  these 
Mother  Houses  proceeded,  for  the  most  part,  from  Kai- 
8 


114        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

serswerth,  from  whence  also,  in  the  beginning,  most  of 
the  head  deaconesses  were  procured.  The  first  donation 
in  Speyer  was  made  by  King  Frederick  William  IV,  and 
the  great  material  progress  recently  made  is  due  to  the 
magnificent  gift  of  the  German-American,  Mr.  Henry 
Villard  (since  deceased).  In  connection  with  the  Augs- 
burg Mother  House  there  is  a  training-school  for  female 
teachers  in  refuges  for  children,  and  the  new  building 


Evangelical,  Lutheran  Deaconess  Institutions  in  Dresden. 

of  this  institution  was  dedicated  December  3,  1899.  A 
most  magnificent  building,  the  "Paulinenpflege,"  was  fin- 
ished in  1900.  The  first  head  deaconess  (Oberin)  of  the 
"Elisabethenstift"  in  Darmstadt  came  from  Bethanien  in 
Berlin,  and  Princess  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Prince  Karl  of 
Hessen,  whence  the  institution  derives  its  name,  is  its  chief 
patroness.  The  institution  in  Craschnitz,  Silesia,  grew 
out  of  the  Eescue  Institution  founded  by  Count  of  Recke- 
Vollmerstein.  The  Mother  House  "Bethesda"  in  Ham- 
burg, founded  in  1860,  Avas  erected  on  a  valuable  building 
site  donated  by  the  State.  All  these  institutions,  num- 
bering twenty,  were  founded  during  the  first  twenty-five 
years — i.  e.,  up  to  the  year  1860. 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  State  Church.       115 

During  the  next  decade  (1860-1870)  more  than  a  dozen 
new  Mother  Houses  were  erected  in  the  Fatherland, 
every  one  of  which  is  to-day  in  a  flourishing  condition, 
and  is  extending  its  boundaries  year  by  year.  The  Dea- 
coness House  in  Danzig  (1862)  developed  from  a  chil- 
dren's hospital.  The  institution  in  Cassel,  founded  in 
186-1,  had  to  pass  through  sore  trials;  but  during  the  past 
decade  it  enjoyed  a  healthy  and  rapid  growth.  In  the 
provincial  capital  Posen  an  institution  was  founded  in 
1865  and  dedicated  in  1866.  In  the  same  year  a  Mother 
House  was  opened  in  Frankenstein,  Silesia.  Besides  the 
nursing  of  the  sick,  this  institution  chose  kindergarten 
work  as  its  specialty.  So  there  are  three  institutions  in 
Silesia:  "Bethanien"  in  Breslau,  and  the  Mother  Houses 
in  Craschnitz  and  Frankenstein.  In  addition  there  were 
founded,  in  the  '60's,  the  Mother  House  in  Bremen  (1868), 
and  in  Stettin  the  institutions  Salem  (1868)  and  Betha- 
nien  (1869).  The  latter  institution  is  a  monument  to  the 
benevolence  of  the  Counselor  of  Commerce  Quistrop. 
The  foundation  of  the  Bielefeld  institution  was  laid  in 
1869,  and  that  of  the  institution  in  Altona  in  1867.  Be- 
sides these  there  were  founded  in  this  decade  the  insti- 
tutions in  Hamburg  (Bethesda),  in  Hanover,  and  the 
Lazarus  Hospital  in  Berlin.  The  institutions  in  Braun- 
schweig and  Frankfort  on  the  Maine  were  founded  in 
1870. 

The  decade  of  1870-1880  marked  an  equal  advance  in 
the  development  of  the  Deaconess  Work.  Old  buildings 
were  in  many  cases  enlarged  or  replaced  by  magnificent 
new  edifices,  and  the  Mother  Houses  grew  sufficiently 
strong  to  push  out  on  new  lines  of  charitable  work.  The 
increase  in  the  number  of  deaconesses  kept  pace  with  the 
increase  in  the  number  of  branch  institutions  and  sta- 
tions.   In  the  great  campaigns  of  1864,  1866,  and  1870-71 


116 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


the  deaconesses  rendered  inestimable  service  on  the 
battlefields  and  in  the  field  hospitals,  and  the  German 
people  appreciated  and  praised  the  self-sacrificing  labors 
of  these  messengers  of  mercy.     In  the  Franco-German 

War  alone  there  were 
"!;   ^   more  than  eight  hun- 
-   dred  Evangelical   dea- 
conesses   from    thirty 
d  i  if  e  r  e  n  t      Mother 
Houses     at    work     on 
the  battlefields  and  in 
two       hundred       and 
thirty    field    hospitals. 
And  these  deaconesses 
not    only    nursed    the 
sick        soldiers        and 
dressed  their  burning  wounds,  but  they  also  pointed  the 
sick   and   dying   to    the    Savior    of   sinners.      After    the 
Franco-German  War,  Empress  Augusta  sent  the  cross  of 


Deaconess  Home  in  Halle. 


Deaconess  Home  in  Darmstadt. 


Deaconess  Work  ix  the  State  Church.       117 

merit  for  women  to  the  "Oberin"  of  the  Mother  House 
in  Kaiserswerth,  with  the  following  letter:  "His  majesty, 
the  emperor  and  king,  has  considered  the  service  ren- 
dered by  the  deaconesses,  their  unselfish  devotion,  bound- 
less sacrifices,  and  unwearied  fidelity,  performed  in  the 
spirit  of  genuine  Christian  humility,  as  worthy  of  the 
highest  recognition."  The  German  people  were  per- 
suaded that  it  was  more  than  mere  natural  enthusiasm 


Deaconess  Home  in  Wehlheiden,  near  Cassel. 


and  inclination  that  made  it  possible  for  the  deaconesses 
to  render  such  service,  and  the  empress  voiced  the  secret 
of  this  devotion  in  the  words:  "They  have  rendered  this 
service  in  the  spirit  and  in  keeping  with  the  principles 
of  a  vocation  that  is  wholly  dedicated  to  our  Lord  and 
Savior."  The  secret  was,  "The  love  of  Christ  constrain- 
eth  us." 

In  the  decade  1870-80  the  following  institutions  were 
founded:  Flensburg  and  Nowawes  (1874),  Breslau  (1873), 
Berlin  (Paul  Gerhardt-Stift,  187G),  and  in  1S77  the  in- 


118        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


stitutions  at  Hamburg  (Bethlehem)  and  Ingweiler.  The 
latter  institution  was  founded  by  Baron  von  Bissing-Beer- 
berg.  Field  Marshal  General  von  Moltke  manifested  spe- 
cial interest  in  the  institution  in  Nowawes^  which  re- 
ceived the  name  "Oberlinhaus."  Nowawes  is  a  flourish- 
ing  suburb   of   Potsdam,   and,   although   Berlin   has   six 

Mother  Houses 
belonging  to  the 
State  Church,  the 
"Oberlinhaus"  is 
enjoying  a  rapid 
and  healthy 
growth.  In  the 
'80's  and  '90's  the 
following  institu- 
tions  were 
founded:  Niesky 
(1883),  Mannheim 
(1884),  Berlin 
/:\ragde.,  1888), 
Kreuzberg  (1888), 
Groningen(1888)^.; 
Soljernheim 
(1889),  Witten 
(1890),  Olden- 
burg (1890),  Leip- 
zig (1890),  Micho- 
witz  (1891), 

Eisenach  (1891),  Frankfort  on  the  Oder  (1891),  Wies- 
baden (1896),  and  Borsdorf  near  Leipzig  (1896). 

All  but  five  of  these  Mother  Houses  located  in  Ger- 
many, and  belonging  to  the  Kaiserswerth  Union,  were 
founded  in  the  latter  half  of  the  past  century.  In  these 
institutions  there  are  over  ten  thousand  deaconesses,  who 


The  New  Evangelical  Deaconess 
Home  in  Vienna. 


Deaconess  Work  ix  the  State  Church.       119 


are  employed  in  nearly  four  thousand  fields  of  labor.  Ev- 
erywhere in  the  cities  of  Germany,  on  trains  and  street- 
cars, in  passenger  stations  and  mail-coaches,  one  meets 
with  these  angels  of  mercy,  hastening  in  all  directions,  to 
relieve  the  needy  and  the  suffering,  to  extend  help  and 
comfort,  following  the  example  of  their  Divine  Master 
in  their  labor  of  love. 

We  must  not  close  this  chapter  without  calling  atten- 
tion to  several  related  institutions.     We  have  in  mind 


Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  at  Dortjiund. 

the  "Filial-Diakonissenhaus"  founded  by  the  Dresden 
Deaconess  Institution,  which  represents  a  new  concep- 
tion, and  the  Evangelical  Deaconess  Society,  founded  by 
Professor  Dr.  Zimmer,  also  the  "Sisterhood  Community.'' 

The  First  "Filial  Deaconess  Home." 

Although  none  of  the  existing  Deaconess  Institu- 
tions is  able  to  meet  the  demands  in  any  adequate  man- 
ner, it  was  evident  that  no  institution  can  expand  indefi- 
nitely without  aifecting  its  efficiency.  By  continually 
opening  new  fields  of  labor,  which  remain  connected  with 
the  Mother  House  as  stations,  the  dangerous  congestion 


Main  Buildings  of  the  Deaconess  Institution  in  Breslau. 


Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in  Posen. 
120 


Deaconess  Work  m  the  State  Church.       121 


Deaconess  Hospital  in  Danzig. 


of  forces  was  obviated ;  but  it  became  manifest  that  in  this 
way  the  necessary  individual  training  and  pastoral  over- 
sight were  made 
impossible,  and  so 
the  Dresden  Dea- 
coness Institution 
was  led  to  a  new 
thought.  It 
founded  a  "Filial 
Deaconess  Home" 
in  Zwickau,  which 
is  an  exact  copy 
of  the  Mother 
House,  but  on  a 
smaller  scale.  The 
property  belongs 
to      the      Official 

Board  of  the  Mother  House.  The  institution  is  under 
the  direct  superintendency  of  the  Mother  House,  and  is 
similarly  managed.  The  plan  seems  to  meet  with  ap- 
proval, and  it 
is  possible  that 
other  Mother 
Houses  will 
adopt  it.  The 
establishment 
of  "Filial"  in- 
stitutions is 
far  preferable 
to  the  estab- 
lishment of  in- 
dependent 
Mother  Houses,  as  it  secures  for  the  new  Institutions  the 
full  benefit  of  the  varied  experience  of  older  workers. 


Deaconess  Hospital,  "Lazarus"  in  Berlin. 


122        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Frequently  inexperienced  persons,  blinded  by  their  en- 
thusiasm, undertake  to  found  an  institution  with  the 
sincere  desire  to  venture  great  things  for  God  and  suf- 
fering humanity;  but  in  most  cases  they  must  pass 
through  sore  trials  and  sad  disappointments  until  they 
have  passed  the  time  of  probation,  which  no  one  escapes. 
These  sad  experiences  are  discouraging,  very  costly,  and 
,hurtf ul  to  this  great  and  worthy  .  cause.  In  this  plan 
the  Dresden  institution  hopes  to  find  the  means  by  which 
|u-ch  disappointments  and  losses  can  be  avoided  in  the 
future.-: 

The  Evangelical  Diaconate  Society. 

In  October,  1899,  the  Evaiigelical  Diaconate  Society 
opened  a  Home  in  Zehlendorf,  near  Berlin.  The  society 
was  organized  by  Professor  Dr.  Zimmer,  of  Herborn,  April 
11,  1894.  The  object  of  the  society  was  to  furnish  em- 
ployment in  nursing  and  in  parish  work  for  such  young 
women  and  childless  widows  as  could  not  become  dea- 
conesses, or  did  not  wish  to.  It  purposes  to  give  women 
without  a  calling  a  definite  aim  in  life,  maintenance, 
and  a  future  support,  by  preparing  them  for  special^ kinds; 
of  service  in  the  Deaconess  Work,  thus  also  promoM' 
ing  the  Evangelical  Diaconate  in  a  general  way.  The  so- 
ciety combines  the  "Diaconate  for  Womeii^'  and  the  "Di-; 
aconate  hy  Women."  It  rests  upon  a  necessity  f elt;  espe-' 
cially  in  Germany;  viz.,  of  finding  proper  and  congenial^ 
occupation  for  unmarried  women,  and  enlisting  ^t.H^r' 
active  sympathy  and  co-operation  for  the  public  welfare. 
For  such,  however,  as  wish  to  consecrate  their  lives  to 
the  Church  and  work  within  Church  lines,  it  recommends 
the  benevolent  activities  of  the  Church — that  is,  the  di- 
aconate— and  offers  them  many  new  opportunities  for 
Christian  culture  and  work  in  the  Church. 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  State  Chuech.       123 


As  to  form,  the  society  is  an  association  of  employers 
and  employees.  Its  form  of  law  is  new  in  Germany.  By 
virtue  of  this  it  is  possible  to  nse  larger  city  hospitals  as 
places  for  nurse-training.  Of  these  there  are  at  present 
seven    so-called    ^^Diaconate    Seminaries/'    arranged    for 


nursing:  in  Ell)erfeld,  Zeitz,  Erfurt,  Magdebur^ 


Stettin. 


Home  of  the  Evangelical  Diaconate  Society 
IN  ZehijEndorf,  near  Berlin. 

and  Danzig  (two  institutions).  Besides  these  there  is  a 
"School  for  Female  Nurses''  in  Waldbroel,  which  is  in- 
tended for  girls  from  the  humbler  stations  of  life.  In 
this  school  girls  are  first  trained  in  caring  for  the  men- 
tally deranged  and  in  housekeeping  (one  and  a  half  to  two 
years),  then  in  general  nursing  and  midwifery  (two  to 
two  and  a  half  years).  From  the  beginning  they  draw  a 
small  salary.     They  are  not  employed  in  parish  nursing 


124        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

under  the  age  of  twenty-five,  and  not  until  they  have 
served  at  least  four  years  in  hospital  work.  The  imme- 
diate purpose  of  the  first-named  Diaconate  Seminaries 
is  to  furnish  women  a  year  of  voluntary  service  in  the 
care  of  the  sick;  i.  e.,  to  train  young  girls  from  the  higher 
stations  of  life  in  nursing  and  for  fellowship  regulated  by 
evangelical  principles,  by  affording  them  a  year  of  train- 
ing and  practice,  during  which  time  they  are  kept  free 
of  charge,  receive  no  remuneration,  and  are  placed  under 
no  obligation  for  the  future.  A  large  part  of  these  after- 
wards remain  in  the  work  voluntarily,  and  join  the  Sis- 
terhood of  the  Evangelical  Diaconate  Society  as  "proba- 
tioners." The  probationers,  just  as  the  deaconesses  of 
the  Mother  Houses,  are  liable  at  any  time  to  dismissal. 
If  the  probationers  prove  acceptable,  they  are  employed 
as  "Sisters  of  the  Society"  after  one  to  two  years,  mutual 
notice  having  been  given  three  months  in  advance, 
after  which  they  can  not  again  be  taken  from  their  po- 
sition against  their  and  their  employer's  will.  The  "Sis- 
ters of  the  Society"  who,  after  a  longer  term  of  service, 
prove  acceptable,  are,  through  consecration,  received  into 
the  innermost  circle,  the  "Schwesternverband,"  which  as- 
sures them  a  position  for  life.  In  case  old  age  or  sick- 
ness should  disable  them  for  service,  they  receive  a  pen- 
sion from  a  Pension  Assurance  Society,  claim  on  which 
they  do  not  forfeit  if  they  withdraw  from  the  institu- 
tion. 

There  are  several  branch  institutions  connected  with 
the  society  which  have  begun  some  new  phases  of  Dea- 
coness Work.  To  these  belong  the  Toechterheime — i.  e., 
educational  institutions  for  girls  from  cultured  circles — 
reform  boarding-schools,  for  the  purpose  of  fitting  young 
women  to  become  good  wives,  mothers,  and  housekeepers, 
but  also  of  disposing  and  educating  them  for  usefulness 


Deacoxess  Work  in  the  State  Church.       125 

in  independent  callings.  To  these  also  belong  the  Maed- 
chenheime — i.  e.,  social  working-girls'  clubs  for  mutual 
improvement — to  whom  these  Homes  also  assure  the  pos- 
sibility of  saving  a  respectable  dowry  (at  least  one  thou- 
sand marks  in  six  years).  In  like  manner  a  Home  for 
the  care  of  students  (Fuersorgeheim  fuer  Zoeglinge)  has 
been  opened,  in  conformity  with  a  law  of  Prussia  (Fuer- 
sorgeerziehungs-Gesetz)   passed   July   2,   1900. 

The  Deaconess  Mother  Houses  manifest  little  inter- 
est for  the  Evangelical  Diaconate  Society.  It  is  held  that 
the  purpose  of  the  society  does  not  properly  entitle  it 
to  the  name  "Evangelical  Diaconate  Society.''  "This 
name  historically  belongs  only  to  that  kind  of  Christian 
benevolence  which  has  for  its  object  the  upbuilding  of 
the  kingdom  of  God  and  the  saving  of  the  souls  of  men.'' 
Since  many  young  women  do  not  wish  to  become  dea- 
conesses, but  can  do  much  good  in  a  position  such  as  is 
made  possible  by  the  Diaconate  Society,  it  is  clear  that 
this  society  meets  a  want,  and  so  far  we  rejoice  and 
wish  it  Godspeed.  Nevertheless,  no  harm  would  have 
been  done  by  giving  it  another  name. 

The  Sisterhood  Community  in  West  Prussia. 

The  "Sisterhood  Community"  at  Yandsburg,  West 
Prussia,  was  founded  in  October,  1899,  through  the  ef- 
forts of  Pastor  Blazejewski,  of  Borken,  assisted  by  Pastors 
Paul,  Girkon,  and  Krawielitzki.  Just  six  months  later. 
Pastor  Blazejewski  was  called  away  by  death;  but  his 
faithful  wife,  familiar  with  the  work,  having  participated 
in  the  management  of  a  hospital  in  Holland,  carried  on 
the  one  just  begun  at  Vandsburg. 

The  education  of  the  Sisters  usually  embraces  three 
stages  of  work.  First  of  all  they  are  expected  to  show, 
by  their  practical  activity  and  domestic  work,  that  it  is 


126        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

their  sincere  desire  to  serve  the  Lord.  During  this  time 
great  stress  is  laid  upon  a  deep  personal  self-examination 
and  practical  self-denial.  Then  fourteen  hours  a  week 
are  devoted  to  Biblical  study,  German  grammar,  the  care 
of  the  sick,  etc.,  assisting  in  religious  services  for  chil- 
dren, in  work  among  different  societies,  etc.  And  the 
practical  training  in  nursing  is  received,  either  in  hos- 
pitals or  at  the  Koyal  Charite  in  Berlin. 

Special  stress  is  laid  upon  the  final  course  of  their  edu- 
cation, which  requires  from  two  to  three  months'  time. 
Thirty-three  hours  a  week  are  devoted  exclusively  to 
study,  the  sisters  being  relieved  during  this  time  from  all 
other  work,  thus  securing  complete  concentration  of  effort. 

Up  to  the  present  time  the  Sisters  have  been  active 
in  West  Prussia,  Silesia,  and  Hamburg.  The  institution 
numbers  about  forty  members  (Sisters).  Superintendent, 
Mrs.  Blaze jewski. 


The  Empress  of  Germany  Visiting  the  Sick  in  a 
Deaconess  Hospital. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  FREE-CHURCH  DEACONESS  INSTITUTIONS 
IN  GERMANY,  SWITZERLAND,  AND  SWEDEN. 

The  Bethany  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Chuech  in  Germany  and  Switzerland. 

The  thought  of  heginning  Deaconess  Work  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Germany  and  Switzer- 
land was  early  entertained  by  ministers  and  members  in 
those  countries.  In  1864,  scarcely  fourteen  years  after 
the  organization  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
Germany,  the  Minutes  of  the  Annual  Conference  men- 
tion a  Committee  on  the  Establishment  of  a  Deaconess 
Institution.  At  that  time  it  was  already  well  known,  not 
only  that  young  women  converted  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  offered  themselves  for  the  service  of  the 
diaconate,  but  also  that  those  who  entered  one  of  the 
existing  non-Methodistic  institutions  were,  as  a  rule,  lost 
to  Methodism.  It  was  quite  natural,  therefore,  that  an 
attempt  should  be  made  to  find  a  way  by  which  such  per- 
sons might  enter  upon  this  form  of  Christian  work  with- 
out being  obliged  to  leave  the  Church  that  had  been 
the  means,  under  God,  of  their  soul's  salvation. 

The  attempts  of  individual  ministers  during  the  en- 
suing ten  years  (1864-1874)  to  introduce  the  diaconate 
into  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  met  with  little  suc- 
cess. After  many  discouraging  experiences,  the  author- 
ities finally  refused  to  entertain  the  question  any  longer. 
Not  much  having  been  accomplished  hitherto  by  con- 

128 


In  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Sweden.      129 

fining  their  efforts  exclusively  to  parish  Deaconess  Work, 
the  Methodist  minister  in  Calw,  Wurtemberg,  deter- 
mined, in  1868,  to  employ  deaconesses  as  nurses  only. 
They  wore  a  special  garb.  A  society  was  organized 
there  under  the  direction  of  the  pastor.  The  Meth- 
odist Churches  in  Frankfort  on  the  Main,  Pforzheim, 
Karlsruhe,  and  Bremen  soon  followed  this  example.  In 
Frankfort  the  number  thus  employed  reached  at  one 
time  five.* 

But  the  results  of  all  these  attempts,  up  to  the  year 
1873,  were  quite  discouraging.  There  was,  above  all, 
a  lack  of  efficient  trained  nurses.  Nurses  lacking  the 
necessary  preparation  for  their  work  did  not  answer.  Be- 
sides, the  general  lack  of  interest  in  the  matter  on  the 
part  of  the  Annual  Conference  precluded  the  possibility 
of  any  lasting  results.  At  other  places  there  were  dis- 
couraging experiences  with  the  nurses.  There  was  also 
lacking  the  essential  unity  of  government.  Nevertheless 
the  Conference  roused  itself  at  last  to  action,  and  adopted 
a  report,  in  1873,  calling  for  more  decisive  steps  toward 
the  founding  of  an  institution.  A  central  committee  was 
also  appointed. 

*  An  earnest  effort  to  introduce  the  female  diaconate  was  made 
in  1868,  by  Rev.  L.  Nlppert,  in  Frankfort  on  the  Main.  In  1865,  Dr. 
L.  Nlppert  had  already  employed  a  parish  deaconess  in  Zurich, 
Switzerland.  In  Frankfort  on  the  Main  a  Committee  was  appointed 
consisting  of  Rev.  L.  Nippert  and  wife,  Mrs.  Tempel,  Mrs.  Siesbearn, 
Professor  O.  F.  Paulus— after  his  departure  for  America,  Professor  (now 
Bishop)  J.  F.  Hurst,  was  appointed  in  his  place— Professor  A.  Sulsberger, 
and  Mr.  L.  Mack.  At  first  the  society  employed  four,  subsequently 
seven  or  eight  Sisters,  whose  work  was  confined  exclusively  to  nursing 
the  sick.  During  the  war  of  1870-1871,  they  served  in  the  military  bar- 
racks in  Frankfort,  and  two  of  them  were  sent  to  the  field  hospitals  in 
Alsace.  This  society  disbanded  in  1872.  Another  attempt  was  made  in 
Bremen  by  Rev.  C.  Weiss  and  his  wife,  a  deaconess  trained  in  Strass- 
burg,  in  the  early  70's.  Rev.  C.  Weiss  being  removed  to  Speyer  two  years 
later,  this  undertaking  was  also  abandoned.  But  the  Sisters  had 
deposited  the  money  earned  by  their  nursing  (1,200  marks)  in  the  Tract 
House  in  Bremen,  which  sum  formed  a  fund  that  facilitated  the  subse- 
quent second  step. 
9 


130        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

The  year  1874  came.  The  Annual  Conference  met 
in  Schaffhausen,  Switzerland.  The  friends  of  the 
Deaconess  Cause  presented  "a  well-considered  plan"  for 
aggressive  steps  in  the  matter^  as  they  had  been  in- 
structed to  do  the  year  previous.  An  earnest  and  pro- 
longed discussion  followed,  with  the  final  result  that  the 
Conference  resolved  to  drop  the  entire  matter  and  to 
proceed  to  the  order  of  the  day.  The  Annual  Conference 
deemed  it  wise  to  dismiss  the  deaconess  matter  entirely. 

Shortly  after  this  vote  was  taken,  four  members  of  the 
Conference  met  in  an  adjoining  room,  and,  after  a  brief 
consultation,  organized  a  free  and  independent  society, 
naming  it  "Bethanien-Verein."  The  same  afternoon  a 
constitution  was  framed,  containing  the  following  pro- 
visions : 

'The  management  of  the  society  shall  be  in  the  hands 
of  a  Central  Board  of  Managers.  This  Board  shall  be 
composed,  in  the  first  place,  of  the  undersigned  founders 
of  the  society,  who  shall  elect  the  officers  from  their  own 
number,  and  report  to  the  annual  meeting.  Full  author- 
ity shall  be  vested  in  the  Board.  It  shall  fill  all  vacancies 
in  the  Board,  and  have  power  to  increase  the  number  of 
its  members  at  pleasure.  The  members  of  the  Board, 
however,  must  be  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Local  Boards  are  to  be  formed  for  the  different 
stations.  The  deaconesses  shall  form  a  Sisterhood  under 
the  direction  of  head  deaconesses  (^Oberschwestern).  All 
receipts  for  nursing  shall  flow  into  the  main  treasury, 
out  of  which  board,  lodging,  and  clothing  are  to  be  paid." 

This  constitution  was  signed  as  follows : 

"Schaffhausen,  July  8,  1874. 

"C.  Weiss,  H.  Mann,  J.  Wischhusen,  F.  Filers." 

On  the  following  day  (July  9th)  the  above  constitu- 
tion was  adopted  in  a  formal  session  of  the  Board,  C. 


132        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Weiss  presiding;  H.  Mann,  secretary.  On  the  same  day, 
by  resolution  of  the  Board,  the  Conference  was  notified 
^^that  an  independent  society  had  been  formed  for  the 
promotion  of  the  Deaconess  Cause,  bearing  the  name 
^Bethanien-Verein.^ "  Having  read  its  statutes,  the  so- 
ciety then  asked  that  it  might  have  the  hearty  indorse- 
ment of  the  Annual  Conference.  This  was  done  by  a 
formal  resolution  of  Conference.  Of  sixty-four  members 
of  the  Conference,  twenty-one  then  joined  the  society  as 
paying  members.  This  was  the  origin  of  the  Bethanien- 
Verein  (Bethany  Society). 

When  this  Deaconess  Society  began,  almost  all 
Deaconess  Work  in  the  local  Methodist  Churches  had 
ceased.  Under  such  circumstances  it  was  no  easy  task 
for  the  newly-organized  society  to  resume  this  work.  Be- 
sides, its  organizers  were  widely  separated,  and  they  felt 
that  their  chief  energies  had  to  be  directed  to  their  pas- 
toral duties.  But  God  in  his  good  providence  directed  all 
things  from  the  beginning.  A  year  and  six  months  passed 
before  the  w^ork  of  the  deaconesses  could  develop  suffi- 
ciently to  conform  to  the  ado^rted  principles.  But  they 
were  not  idle  during  this  time.  An  opportunity  for  exe- 
cuting the  resolutions  passed  was  sure  to  come. 

Frankfort  on  the  Main  was  the  place  where  the 
Mother  House  of  the  Bethany  Society  was  destined  to 
arise.  Eev.  F.  Filers,  one  of  the  four  founders  of  the 
society,  was  transferred  to  this  city  in  the  summer  of 
1875.  Eev.  C.  Weiss,  chairman  of  the  Board,  had  be- 
come acquainted,  in  the  fall  of  1875,  with  a  deaconess 
whose  time  was  her  own^  and  who  offered  her  services 
to  the  society.  In  April,  1876,  she  moved  to  Frankfort 
on  the  Main.  Eev.  F.  Filers  received  her  into  this  home, 
and  arranged  a  room  for  her  in  the  parsonage.  The 
members    of    the    Board    and    several    friends    collected 


In  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Sweden.      133 


enough  money  among  themselves  to  buy  the  most  neces- 
sary furniture,  a  bed  and  table.  Forthwith  there  was 
Avork  enough.  Soon  a  second  and  a  third  deaconess 
entered  the  society.  Several  of  the  physicians  in  the 
city  were  in  sympathy  with  the  enterprise.     In  the  spirit 


Deaconess  Mother  House  of  the  Bethany  Society 
IN  Frankfort  on  the  Main.    (No.  IC  Gauss  St.) 

of  self-denial  a  second  room  in  the  parsonage  was  vacated 
for  the  deaconesses.  Their  number  still  increasing,  the 
Board  rented  a  small  dwelling  for  them.  One  of  the 
rooms  was  set  aside  for  the  sick,  and  here  the  first  patient 
underwent  a  serious  operation.  It  was  successful,  and 
she  was  discharged  entirely  cured.     In  1878,  when  Eev. 


134        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

F.  Eilers  left  Frankfort,  the  number  of  deaconesses  had 
reached  seven.  Such  was  the  modest  beginning  of  the  Dea- 
coness Work.  The  institution  progressed  hopefully,  though 
slowly.  There  was  little  available  room  and  no  favorable 
opportunity  for  the  professional  training  of  the  deacon- 
esses. The  Board  sent  some  of  them  to  the  Academic 
Hospital  in  Heidelberg,  where,  for  adequate  remuneration, 
they  acquired  the  most  necessary  knowledge  for.  their 
calling;  others  learned  what  they  could  at  home.  AI7 
though  many  a  friend  observed  the  development  of  the 
new  enterprise  with  misgivings,  and  it  had  been  proph- 
esied more  than  once  that  the  undertaking  would  perish, 
God  kept  his  servants  so  far  from  becoming  disheartened 
that  in  December,  ISTS,  they  ventured  to  extend  their 
work,  and  opened  a  field  of  labor  in  the  city  of  Hamburg. 
At  first  one  deaconess  was  sent  there;  shortly  after,  a 
second;  then  a  third.  The  minister  there,  Philip  Lutz, 
who  was  in  sympathy  with  the  work,  assisted  the  deacon- 
esses in  every  possible  way. 

During  this  time,  not  only  the  members  of  the  Board 
gave  time,  strength,  and  many  prayers  to  the  work,  but 
the  deaconesses  themselves  put  their  whole  souls  into  the 
work  as  unto  the  Lord.  They  voluntarily  submitted  to 
the  greatest  privations,  and  at  times  even  suffered  want 
when  the  necessaries  of  life  were  lacking  in  the  Home. 
They  were  deaconesses  in  deed  and  in  truth,  dis- 
charging their  duties  obediently,  willingly,  and  faithfully. 
The  Central  Board  held  its  sessions  annually,  the  local 
Boards  more  frequently.  The  pastors  in  charge  were 
members  of  the  local  Boards,  and  the  superintendency 
of  the  local  stations  lay  respectively  in  the  hands  of  a 
member  of  the  Central  Board.  In  1878,  Rev.  G.  Hauser 
also  joined  the  Board,  serving  as  president  for  three  years, 
and  then  severing  his  connection  with  the  Board. 


In  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Sweden,      135 

While  in  Frankfort  the  work  was  seriously  impeded 
by  the  resignation  of  the  head  deaconess,  who  was  joined 
by  several  of  the  deaconesses,  in  Hamburg  there  was 
cheering  prosperity  and  progress.  Here,  too,  they  were 
obliged  to  begin  at  the  bottom,  although  they  lived  in  an 
attic  on  Kleiner  Kirehweg  10,  St.  George.  The  noble  band 
of  deaconesses  had  to  endure  sickness,  privations,  and 
straits  of  every  kind.  .  They  were  led  through  deep  waters, 
but  led  aright.  God  would  thus  manifest  himself  only 
the  more  gloriously  to  his  own.  He  answered  their  pray- 
ers, and  raised  up  patrons  and  friends  with  means,  who 
were  in  a  position  to  give  substantial  support  to  the  cause 
of  the  Bethany  Society.  One  example  will  suffice:  The 
four-year-old  son  of  one  of  the  foremost  bankers  of  Ham- 
burg became  sick  with  diphtheria.  The  family  physician 
gave  instructions  that  a  proper  nurse  be  employed.  The 
father  searched  the  city  in  vain  for  one  until  his  atten- 
tion was  called  to  the  Sisters  of  Bethany  Society.  When 
he  came,  there  was  only  one  Sister  at  home,  who  had  her- 
self been  sick  with  diphtheria  a  short  time  before,  and 
Avas  still  convalescent.  Upon  the  urgent  request  of  the 
father,  and  trusting  in  God,  who  can  perform  miracles,  the 
deaconess  ventured  to  take  charge  of  the  boy.  The  child 
recovered.  From  that  time  the  parents  were  warm  friends 
of  the  society.  Other  friends  joined  them,  and  through 
their  efforts  a  charity  bazaar  was  instituted  in  March, 
1884,  the  proceeds  of  which  were  to  go  toward  erecting 
a  Deaconess  Home.  The  proceeds  amounted  to  25,000 
marks.  From  this  time  on  the  deaconess  cause  had  a 
remarkable  growth  in  Hamburg. 

In  1882  the  Board  elected  Rev.  F.  Filers  as  inspector 
of  the  society.  In  this  function  there  devolved  upon  him 
principally  the  care  of  the  inner  affairs  of  the  work,  the 
special  pastoral  care  of  the  deaconesses,  the  course  of  in- 


136        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

struction,  the  inspection  of  the  stations,  and  general 
spiritual  oversight.  In  the  reception  of  deaconesses,  in 
transferring  them,  in  the  appointing  of  head  deaconesses, 
such  superintend ency  was  of  the  greatest  importance. 
Every  three  months  he  was  required  to  submit  to  the 
Board  a  written  report  on  the  state  of  the  work.  The  gen- 
eral superintendency  of  the  society  remained  in  the  hands 
of  the  chairman  of  the  Board,  the  president  of  the  society, 
who  was  its  properly-constituted  representative  in  its  out- 
side relations  and  associations.  lie  was  also  the  editor  of 
a  deaconess  paper,  the  organ  of  the  Bethany  Society.* 

In  1883  a  house,  located  in  Frankfort  on  the  Main, 
Gauss  Street  16  (the  smaller  part  of  the  present  Mother 
House),  was  purchased  and  occupied  by  the  deaconesses; 
but  it  could  not  be  arranged  for  a  hospital  before  the 
spring  of  1885.  In  order  to  defray  the  cost  of  recon- 
struction, the  authorities  of  the  province  Hesse-Xassau 
permitted  the  society  to  take  a  collection  among  the  in- 
habitants of  Frankfort,  going  from  house  to  house.  This 
collection  netted  the  handsome  sum  of  7,000  marks.  The 
house  was  dedicated  April  25,  1885,  by  H.  Mann,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Directors,  after  an  address  by  Dr.  A. 
Sulzberger  on  Luke  x,  4.  The  hospital  had  nine  rooms 
for  patients,  with  eighteen  beds,  a  small  operating-room, 
and  the  necessary  living  and  sleeping  apartments  for 
twenty  deaconesses.  During  the  first  year  eighty  patients 
received  treatment. 

The  year  1883  was  marked  by  another  important  event 
in  that  the  society  began  work  in  Berlin  in  the  month 
of  February  with  two  deaconesses.  Sister  Eosa  Fisher 
had  supervision  for  the  time  being.    It  was  necessary  soon 


*In  October,  1882,  the  first  number  of  the  small  deaconess  paper, 
Bethania,  appeared,  edited  and  published  by  Rev.  H.  Mann.  It  is  a 
bimonthly,  furnished  free  of  charge  to  any  one  who  wishes  to  receive  it. 


Ix  Ger-maw,  Switzerland,  and  Sweden.      137 


to  send  two  additional  deaconesses.  At  first  these  four 
lived  in  a  single  room  with  a  kitchen.  In  the  same  year 
(1883)  the  society  suffered  a  severe  loss.  Eev.  Carl  Weiss, 
then  president  of  the  society,  and  residing  in  Berlin,  died 
in  Frankfort,  June  8th,  from  a  prolonged  lung  trouble. 
The  death  of  this  devout  and  diligent  man  was  a  great 
loss  to  the  entire  Church.  lie  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  H. 
Mann,  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors. In  188-1:  the 
superintendency  o  f 
the  Deaconess  Home 
in  Frankfort  was  in- 
trusted to  Martha 
Keller.  In  Berlin, 
Sister  Sophia  Hurter 
was  appointed  head 
deaconess ;  a  n  d  i  n 
Hamburg,    Sister 


# 


%- 


Rev.  H.  Mann, 
President  Bethany  Society. 


Sophia  Hof meister. 
They  proved  to  be  a 
great  success. 

In  Hamburg  the 
need  of  a  home  for 
the  deaconesses  be- 
came more  and  more  urgent.  Many  friends,  won  by  the 
work  of  the  deaconesses,  would  now  have  been  ready  to 
support  the  cause  with  the  necessary  funds  if  the  ques- 
tion of  religious  creed  had  not  intervened.  "What  is  the 
Bethany  Society  ?  Is  it  not  a  Methodist  institution  ?"  was 
eagerly  asked.  Many  warned  against  supporting  it.  It 
would  not  do  to  encourage  the  sects.  A  warm  friend  of 
the  cause,  Mr.  B.  G.,  sought  a  conference  with  the  presi- 
dent of  the  society.     The  interview  took  place  in  the 


138        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

office  of  Mr.  B.  G.  and  Inspector  F.  Eilers  and  Eev.  0. 
Sehell,  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  also  took  part 
in  it.  The  Hamburg  friends  wished  to  know  the  re- 
lation of  the  Bethany  Society  to  the  Methodist  Church. 
The  president  gave  the  following  explanation:  "We  mem- 
bers of  the  Board  of  Directors  are  all  ministers  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  to  which  we  are  loyally  de- 
voted as  its  servants.  Through  its  instrumentality  we 
have  come  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  the  truth,  and  we 
love  our  Church.  All  our  deaconesses  are  likewise  mem- 
bers of  this  Church,  and  do  not  wish  to  belong  to  any 
other.  But  the  society,  as  such,  is  not  under  the  official 
direction  of  the  Church.  The  Annual  Conference  re- 
fused to  carry  on  the  Deaconess  Work  as  a  denominational 
enterprise.  The  Bethany  Society  leans  upon  the  Meth- 
odist Church,  but  it  is  an  independent  organization,  just  as 
the  other  Deaconess  Institutions,  that  lean  upon  the  State 
Churches.^'  The  Hamburg  friends  thereupon  declared 
that  they  were  satisfied  with  the  explanation  given,  and 
promised  magnanimously  to  support  the  work.  The 
bazaar  mentioned  above  shows  that  they  kept  their 
promise.  On  March  11,  1886,  a  house  was  purchased  on 
Grindelberg  15a,  and  arranged  as  a  Deaconess  Home.  It 
was  a  pleasant  Home,  but  in  the  course  of  time  became 
too  small.  In  the  same  year,  August  13,  1886,  the 
Deaconess  Home  "Bethany,"  in  Hamburg,  was  publicly 
recognized  as  a  charitable  institution,  and  granted  the 
charter  privileges,  which  also  was  of  great  importance  in 
view  of  its  future  development. 

We  have  already  mentioned  that  in  the  house,  Gauss 
Street  16,  in  Frankfort  on  the  Main,  purchased  in  1883, 
the  first  Deaconess  Hospital  was  fitted  up  in  1885.  In 
August,  1885,  the  first  course  of  instruction  began  in 
the  society's  own  institution  with  four  probationers;  at 


In  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Sweden.       139 

the  same  time,  however,  six  deaconesses  were  being 
trained  in  the  city  hospital  in  Berlin.  From  St.  Gallen  a 
call  had  come  long  ago  asking  the  Bethany  Society 
to  found  a  station  in  that  city.  This  request  was  com- 
plied with  in  July,  1885.  Two  deaconesses  were  sent 
there.  After  the  lapse  of  twelve  years  (July  1,  1886),  the 
number  of  deaconesses  had  increased  to  sixty-six. 

Another  step  forward  was  taken  during  this  year.  At 
the  annual  meeting  in  Frankfort,  June  12,  1886,  the 
members  of  the  Board  of  Directors  and  other  friends  of 
the  society  present  formed  the  nucleus  of  a  fund  for  the 
founding  of  a  "Rest  Home,^'  and  on  April  9,  1888,  the 
corner-stone  was  laid  in  the  village  of  Neuenheim,  on  the 
Taunus.  The  building  was  dedicated  the  following  June, 
and  called  "Erholungsstation  Gottestreu" — Rest  Home — 
"God's  Fidelity.^'  In  the  early  part  of  February,  1887, 
the  city  of  Zurich  was  taken  up  as  the  second  field  of  labor 
in  Switzerland,  and  three  deaconesses  were  stationed  there. 

In  1888  the  City  Council  of  Berlin  gave  permission  to 
take  a  collection  from  house  to  house,  the  money  to  be 
used  for  the  purchase  of  property.  September  5,  1888,  a 
house  located  at  Steglitzer  Street  71  was  bought  and  fitted 
up  as  a  Deaconess  Home. 

In  Frankfort  on  the  Main  the  hospital  soon  proved 
to  be  too  small.  In  order  that  as  few  patients  as  possible 
might  be  turned  away,  it  was  necessary  to  rent  living- 
rooms  for  the  deaconesses  in  a  neighboring  house.  This 
induced  the  Board  of  Directors  to  buy  an  adjoining 
house  (Gauss  Street  11),  November  15,  1890.  Both 
houses  were  placed  under  the  direction  of  the  new  in- 
spector, Philip  Lutz,  and  were  connected  by  an  inter- 
mediate building.  Thus  arose  the  Mother  House  in  its 
present  form,  partly  hospital  and  partly  Deaconess  Home. 
Xearly  half  the  sum  necessary  for  the  erection  of  the 


Methodist  Deaconess  Home  "  Ebenezer,''  in  Berlin.    (No.  74  Steglltzer  St.) 


In  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Sweden.       141 

intermediate  building  was  given  by  friends  of  the  cause 
in  response  to  a  call  in  the  public  press. 

Upon  repeated  requests,  the  city  of  Lausanne,  in 
Switzerland,  was  taken  up  as  a  station  in  the  same  year, 
and  two  French-speaknig  deaconesses  were  stationed 
there,  October  31,  1890. 

During  the  year  1891  there  were  no  less  than  six- 
teen hundred  requests  for  deaconesses  as  private  nurses 
to  which  the  society  was  unable  to  respond.  The  Ham- 
burg friends  earnestly  requested  that  the  number  of 
deaconesses  be  increased;  in  other  stations  the  want  also 
was  keenly  felt.  To  this  was  added  the  ever-growing  de- 
mand for  a  second  hospital  for  the  entire  work,  in  order 
that  all  deaconesses  might  be  trained  under  personal  super- 
vision. The  available  room  in  Frankfort  did  not  suffice 
for  this.  In  Hamburg  the  enlargement  was  rapid  and 
extraordinary.  A  second  charity  bazaar,  held  in  1888, 
and  a  third  one  in  1893,  under  the  patronage  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  influential  ladies,  netted  large  sums. 
Then,  through  the  generous  sanction  of  the  honorable 
Senate  and  "Buergerschaft,'*'  a  large  and  eligible  build- 
ing site  was  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Bethany  Dea- 
coness Home,  thus  enabling  the  society  to  erect  a  large 
hospital  and  Deaconess  Home  (see  page  129).  These  two 
large  buildings  were  completed  in  the  cholera  year,  in 
which  thirteen  of  the  deaconesses  were  placed  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  city  authorities,  and  twelve  more  were  nurs- 
ing among  the  cholera-stricken,  especially  among  the 
poorer  families.  One  of  these  deaconesses  fell  a  victim 
to  the  disease.  Through  the  blessing  of  God  the  society 
was  able  to  dedicate  the  edifice  September  14,  1893.  Kev. 
P.  G.  Junker,  of  Bremen,  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Directors,  frequently  went  to  Hamburg  to  superintend 
the  building  and  to  encourage  the  deaconesses.     As  no 


142        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

inspector  was  appointed  in  that  year,  the  local  superin- 
tendency  was  intrusted  to  him  for  the  time  being.  During 
this  trying  time  the  head  deaconess,  Sister  Catharine  Stoll, 
who  in  1886  had  succeeded  Sister  Josephine  Hofmeister, 
labored  with  marked  wisdom  and  discretion.  That  the 
authorities  of  Hamburg  highly  appreciated  the  work  of 
the  deaconesses  during  this  sore  affliction  appears  from 
the  fact  that,  after  the  epidemic  had  ceased,  the  Hospital 
Board  of  Hamburg  presented  the  Deaconess  Home  with 
a  magnificent  testimonial  in  fine  morocco.  The  front 
cover  contains  a  beautiful  medallion  in  the  center  repre- 
senting Christ  in  Bethany,  Mary  sitting  thoughtfully  at 
his  feet,  while  Martha  is  serving.  Above  the  medallion 
is  the  word  "Bethanien"  in  large  gilded  letters,  under  it 
"Hospital  Board,  Hamburg,'^  and  the  coat  of  arms  of  the 
city.  Within  the  following  words  are  engrossed  on  parch- 
ment in  black,  red,  and  blue  ink: 

"The  Hospital  Board  of  the  Free  and  Hanseatic 
City,  Hamburg,  thanks  the  Deaconess  Institution 
Bethanien  for  the  self-sacrificing  devotion  of  its  deacon- 
esses, exhibited  in  the  hospitals  of  Hamburg  during  the 
cholera  epidemic  of  1892. 

"Senator  Dr.  Lappenberg,  President. 

"Hamburg,  October,  1892.^' 

A  second  sheet  of  parchment  contains  a  fuller  ex- 
pression of  gratitude  addressed  to  the  Board  of  Directors 
of  the  society. 

On  June  13,  1893,  a  Home  was  secured  for  the  deacon- 
esses in  Zurich,  adjoining  the  Methodist  church  on  the 
Zeltweg.  Several  friends  of  the  society  made  it  possible 
to  cancel  a  considerable  part  of  the  debt  at  once.  In 
1895  another  step  was  taken  in  Frankfort  toward  the 
future  enlargement  of  the  Mother  House.     A  piece  of 


In  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Sweden.       143 


land  adjoining  tlie  institution,  Gauss  Street  20,  and  con- 
taining the  small  Goethe  honse  (the  former  garden-house 
of  Goethe's  parents)  was  bought.  This  assures  the  in- 
stitution light  and  air.  October  1,  1897,  Strassburg,  in 
Alsace,  was  taken  up  as  a  station,  and  two  deaconesses 
were  employed  there.     November  1,  1897,  the  Board  re- 


Metiiodist  Dkaconess  Home  in  Zurich,  Switzerland, 

sponded  to  a  call  from  the  capital  of  Austria,  Vienna, 
and  sent  four  deaconesses  into  the  field  given  over  to 
the  Bethany  Society  by  the  Martha  Maria  Society.  In 
Yolksdorf,  near  Hamburg,  the  Bethany  Society  is  at  pres- 
ent erecting  a  large  and  commodious  Eest  Home  at  a 
cost  of  80,000  marks.  All  the  money  was  raised  in  ad- 
vance. 

The   youngest   station   is    Pforzheim,    in    the    Grand 


144        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Duchy  of  Baden.  It  was  taken  np  Jnly,  1900,  and  two 
deaconesses  were  stationed  there.  These  last  three  cities, 
Strassburg,    Vienna^   and   Pforzheim,    are    the   youngest 


Deaconess  Home  "  Bethany,"  in  St.  GAx-iiEN,  SwiTZERiiAND. 


branch  stations,  of  which  Vienna  is  most  prosperous. 
The  number  of  deaconesses  has  already  reached  fifteen, 
and  the  erection  of  a  Home  is  contemplated.  In  a  meet- 
ing of  physicians  the  Bethany  deaconesses  w^ere  spoken  of 


In  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Sweden.      145 

as  the  "technically  best-trained  deaconesses/'  which  is  say- 
ing a  great  deal  considering  the  numerous  nuns  active  in 
Vienna.  Calls  for  deaconesses  come  from  all  parts  of 
Austria,  and  the  institution  has  a  hopeful  future. 

So  much  concerning  the  extent  of  the  work. 

Through  force  of  circumstances  the  work  of  the  dea- 
conesses was  at  first  restricted  principally  to  private  nurs- 
ing among  rich  and  poor.  The  remuneration  received 
from  the  former  helped  toward  serving  the  latter  free 
of  charge.  Private  nursing  is  the  most  taxing  part  of 
the  work  of  a  deaconess,  especially  the  great  amount  of 
night  duty.  Besides,  in  private  nursing  a  deaconess  must 
quietly  endure  much  from  sensitive  patients,  especially 
in  unchristian  or  irreligious  families.  On  the  other  hand, 
right  here  a  true  disciple  of  Christ,  who  does  not  seek 
her  own  but  the  glory  of  the  Master,  can  do  much  good 
through  her  gentleness,  devotion,  joy,  and  patience — vir- 
tues learned  in  the  school  of  her  Master.  Here,  too, 
the  faith  of  deeds  has  conquered  barren  unbelief.  How 
much  light  is  brought  into  the  dark  dwellings  of  doubt 
and  distress  by  the  faithful  work  of  a  deaconess,  and 
how  often  are  penitents  pointed  to  the  source  of  joy  "by 
the  testimony  of  the  life  rather  than  that  of  the  lips!" 

Since  1889  the  Bethany  Society  has  also  endeavored 
to  introduce  the  parish  diaccmafe.  For  a  small  remunera- 
tion a  number  of  deaconesses  are  assigned  to  different 
Churches,  in  order  to  aid  in  nursing  the  poorer  mem- 
bers, in  conducting  Young  Ladies'  Societies,  and  Martha 
Societies,  and  in  other  charitalde  work,  as  well  as  in 
mission  work.  These  parish  deaconesses  work  under 
the  direction  of  the  pastors  of  the  respective  Churches 
and  local  auxiliaries  which  secure  the  means  neces- 
sary for  their  support,  and  in  this  way  aid  in  the 
work.  The  Woman's  Missionary  Society  of  the  Meth- 
10 


146        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

odist  Episcopal  Church  has  also  extended  financial 
aid  to  several  Churches  in  employing  such  deacon- 
esses. The  parish  deaconesses  remain  deaconesses  of  the 
Bethany  Society,  to  which  the}^  belong  as  members  of  a 
family,  and  which,  according  to  the  constitution,  cares 
for  them  in  sickness  and  old  age.  Their  work  is  under 
the  control  of  the  Bethany  Society.  The  parish  deacon- 
esses may  be  transferred  and  recalled  to  the  Mother 
House  according  to  stipulations.  At  present  they  num- 
ber ten. 

In  the  same  relation  as  the  parish  deaconesses,  sev- 
eral Sisters  are  employed  in  nurseries.  These  are  insti- 
tutions in  which  small  children  are  cared  for  whose 
mothers  are  obliged  to  work  in  factories  or  elsewhere 
outside  of  the  home  during  the  day.  The  children  are 
brought  to  the  nurseries  early  in  the  morning,  and  called 
for  in  the  evening.  While  the  mother  is  earning  their 
daily  bread,  a  nursery  deaconess  watches  over,  provides 
for,  and  cares  for  her  little  child  till  evening.  In  like 
manner,  a  few  deaconesses  serve  the  families  of  work- 
men in  the  larger  factories.  In  the  principal  stations 
of  the  Bethany  Society  in  Frankfort  on  the  Main,  Ham- 
burg, and  Berlin,  three  so-called  "Sisters  of  the  Poor'^ 
are  at  work  among  the  poorer  population  exclusively. 
They  bring  to  needy  families  the  gifts  of  the  well-to-do, 
seek  out  the  really  needy,  and  render  such  aid  as  may 
be  required.  At  the  same  time  the  deaconess  often  is 
physician  to  the  soul  by  means  of  the  Word  of  God  and 
prayer. 

The  hospitals  are  especially  helpful  to  such  as  are 
entirely  without  means,  or  whose  means  are  very  limited. 
In  the  Mother  House  in  Frankfort,  for  example,  the 
number  of  free  consultations  in  the  polyclinics,  at  which 
several  deaconesses  are  continually  employed,  increased 


In  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Sweden.       147 


to  about  8,000  per  year.  Another  example:  In  the 
Hamburg  hospital  during  the  year  1901  ninety-seven 
patients  were  nursed  in  2,663  nursing-days  in  first-class 
rooms,  seven  hundred  and  two  patients,  however,  in 
21,934  nursing-days  in  third-class  rooms.  The  charges 
for  nursing  pa- 
tients of  the  third 
class  are  so  low 
that  they  do  not 
cover  the  expenses. 
The  number  of  pa- 
tients in  second- 
class  rooms  is  also 
considerable.  B  e- 
sides,  there  are 
constantly  patients 
in  both  institutions 
who  are  entirely 
without  means,  and 
can  offer  no  remu- 
neration. 

Since  1893,  Rev. 
Leonhardt  Weiss 
has  been  superii;- 
tendent,  and  God 
has  richly  blessed 
his  work.  At  the 
close  of  1901  the 
Sisters  numbered  two  hundred  and  forty-five.  Of  this 
number  one  hundred  and  fifty-five  have  been  consecrated, 
eighty  are  probationers,  and  ten  are  ante-probationers. 
The  head  deaconesses  at  present  are:  Martha  Keller,  in 
the  Mother  House  of  the  Deaconess  Institution  and  Hos- 
pital in  Frankfort  on  the  Main;  Sophia  Hurter,  in  the 


Rev.  L.  Weiss,  Superintendent 
OF  THE  Bethany  Society. 


148 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


Bethany  Hospital  and  Deaconess  Home  in  Hamburg; 
Catharine  Ostertag,  in  the  Deaconess  Home  "Ebenezer" 
in  Berlin;  Yerena  Senn,  in  the  Deaconess  Home 
"Bethany"  in  St.  Gallen;  Emilie  Keller,  in  the  Deaconess 
Home  "Bethany"  in  Zurich;  Eliza  Leiser,  in  the  Deaconess 
Home  "Bethany",  in  Lausanne;  Auguste  Eeiche,  in  the 
Deaconess  Home  "Bethany"  in  Strassburg,  in  Alsace; 
Lucie   Staeubli,   in  the   Deaconess  Home   "Bethany"  in 


Martha  Keller,  Sophie  Hurtek, 

Frankfort  on  the  Main.  Hamburg. 

Two  Head  Deaconesses  of  the  Bethany  Society. 

Vienna;  Marie  Dipon,  in  the  Deaconess  Home  "Bethany" 
in  Pforzheim. 

In  the  modest  Best  Home  "Gottestreu,"  in  Neuen- 
hain  on  the  Taunus,  in  1901^  more  than  one  hundred 
deaconesses  sought  rest,  aggregating  1,914  days.  Sister 
Amanda  Amann  is  head  deaconess.  In  recognition  of 
her  services  as  nurse,  the  empress  presented  her  with 
the  "red-cross  medal."  Besides  this  medal,  she  possesses 
two  more,  received  in  recognition  of  the  valuable  serv- 
ices she  rendered  as  nurse  in  the  military  hospitals  dur- 
ing the  Franco-German  War   (1870-71). 

If  a  Sister  wishes  to  become  a  deaconess,  the  follow- 


KATHARINA  OSTEBTAG,   BERLIN.  LUOIE  StAECBLI,  VIENNA. 


.NBA   AMANN,    NEUENHAIIT:  VERENA   BeNN,   ST.  GALLBN. 


EMII.IE   KELLER,  ZURICH.  ELIZE   LEISER,   LAUSANNE. 

Six  Head  Deaconesses  of  the  Bethany  Society. 


150        History  of  the  Deacokess  Movement. 

ing  is  usually  the  method  of  procedure :  She  calls  at  the 
inspector's,  who  gives  her  the  necessary  written  instruc- 
tions. Then  follows  her  written  request  for  admission, 
with  which  she  must  inclose  a  sketch  of  her  life,  com- 
piled and  written  by  herself,  the  certificate  of  a  physician 
as  to  the  state  of  her  health,  and  a  certificate  from  her 
pastor.  A  committee  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  con- 
sisting of  five  members  (usually  the  president,  the  super- 


Maria  Dipon,  Pforzheim.  AuGUSTii  Reiohe,  Strassburg. 

Two  Head  Deaconesses  of  the  Bethany  Society. 


intendent,  the  head  deaconess  of  the  Mother  House, 
and  two  other  members  of  the  Board),  examine  the 
request,  and  pass  upon  her  acceptance  as  ante-pro- 
bationer. The  term  of  this  relation  is  three  months, 
during  which  time  the  Sister  does  the  necessary  house- 
work in  the  deaconess  family  in  one  of  the  stations.  On 
recommendation  of  the  respective  local  Boards  the  Sis- 
ter is  then  admitted  on  probation,  and  receives  the  garb 
of  the  society,  which  differs  but  little  from  the  deaconess 
garb  proper.  The  time  of  probation  includes  the  period 
of  training  in  one  of  the  hospitals.     The  course  covers 


In  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Sweden.      151 

a  full  year.  The  time  of  probation  is  three  to  five  years. 
The  committee  of  the  Board  of  Directors  then  passes 
npon  the  final  reception  of  the  Sister  into  the  society,  or 
her  consecration  as  deaconess. 

At  the  Annual  Conferences  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  of  Germany  and  Switzerland  the  inspector, 
or  some  other  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  reports 
on  the  progress  of  the  cause.  At  each  x\nnual  Confer- 
ence a  printed  annual  report  is  also  presented.  The  Con- 
ference of  which  the  superintendent  is  a  member,  is  annu- 
ally requested  by  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  society  to 
recommend  to  the  bishop  that  the  respective  minister  be 
left  as  superintendent  (inspector)  of  the  society.  To  the 
local  Board  of  the  stations  usually  belong  the  pastors  in 
charge  of  the  respective  Churches  of  which  the  Sisters  are 
members.  These  local  Boards  are  appointed  annually  by 
the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  society. 

The  following  persons  have  served  on  the  Board  for 
a  longer  or  shorter  pf^riod:  Rev.  Gustav  Hausser  (1878- 
1881)  and  Rev.  Clement  Achard  (1886-1889),  both  of 
whom  are  now  in  America;  Rev.  F.  Eilers  (1874-1889); 
Dr.  A.  Sulzberger  (1887-1896).  The  latter,  as  well  as 
Dr.  L.  Nippert,  were  several  years  members  of  the  local 
Board  in  Frankfort  on  the  Main. 

Special  credit  is  due  the  Bethany  Society  for  its  share 
in  bringing  about  the  adoption  of  the  Deaconess  Work 
by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States. 
When  the  first  resolutions  concerning  the  introduction 
of  the  Deaconess  Cause  were  adopted  by  the  General  Con- 
ference of  1888,  special  mention  was  made,  in  the  re- 
port of  the  Committee  on  Deaconess  Work,  of  the 
Deaconess  Work  carried  on  by  "our  brethren  in  Germany, 
who  for  a  number   of  years   have   employed  such  con- 


152        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

secrated  workers  in  the  kingdom  of  God  with  the  most 
happy  results."  (Journal  of  the  Gen.  Conf.  of  1888,  p. 
435;  Report  No.  IV,  pp.  246  and  292.) 

In  August  of  the  year  1899  the  Bethany  Society  cele- 
brated its  twenty-fifth  anniversary  in  a  large  tent  in 
the  garden  of  the  Mother  House  at  Frankfort  on  the 
Main.  The  morning  service  was  held  in  Zion's  Church. 
Rev.  H.  Mann,  president  of  the  Bethany  Society,  and 
the  only  one  of  the  four  original  founders,  who  has  con- 
tinued in  official  relationship  with  the  same  to  the  pres- 
ent time,  preached  the  sermon  for  this  occasion  on 
Lament,  iii,  23 :  "Great  is  thy  faithfulness." 

The  Martha  and  Mary  Society  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

This  society  embraces  the  Deaconess  Work  of  the 
former  Wesleyan  Synod  in  Germany,  which  body  several 
years  ago  was  amalgamated  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  To-day  the  society  has  a  Mother  House  in 
Nuremberg,  and  branch  stations  in  Magdeburg,  Munich, 
and  Heilbronn.  The  history  of  its  origin  is  interesting. 
In  1887,  Rev.  G.  J.  Eckert,  one  of  the  principal  founders 
and  at  present  superintendent  of  the  society,  urgently  re- 
quested the  Wesleyan  Synod  to  found  a  Deaconess  In- 
stitution. The  committee  appointed  by  said  body  met 
in  Lorch,  December  10,  1888,  to  consider  the  advisability 
of  founding  such  an  institution.  Miss  Luise  Schneider, 
a  deaconess  from  Buchengehren,  met  with  them.  They 
considered  the  question,  resulting  in  the  organization  of 
the  Martha-Maria  Society.  Sister  Luise  Schneider  con- 
sented to  begin  the  work  in  Nuremberg  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord,  where  she  arrived  February  4,  1889.  She  moved 
into  a  modest  little  room  in  Fischer  Alley,  which  rented 
for  a  mark  (25  cents)  a  week.    A  probationary  deaconess. 


In  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Sweden;       153 


Eliza  Heidner,  who  had  for  some  time  heen  doing  nurs- 
ing, was  with  her.  There  was  no  lack  of  difficulties, 
some  of  which  seemed  almost  insurmountable;  neverthe- 
less the  institution  flourished,  and  a  number  of  Sisters 
entered  on  probation.  In  September  of  the  same  year 
(1889)  the  society 
was  granted  the 
charter  privileges. 
When,  toward  the 
end  of  the  year, 
an  epidemic  of  in- 
fluenza broke  out 
in  Nuremberg,  the 
Sisters  were  able 
to  furnish  valu- 
able aid  to  the 
"reserve"  hospital 
of  the  city.  These 
services  were 
gratefully  recog- 
nized by  the  city 
council  in  a  pub- 
lic manner.  In 
the  following  year 
a  branch  station 
was  founded  in 
Munich,  the  beautiful  capital  of  Bavaria,  and  in  1892 
a  work  was  begun  in  Magdeburg  and  in  Vienna. 

In  Vienna  five  deaconesses  had  been  at  work  for  sev- 
eral years  previously;  but  in  1897  the  Martha-Maria  So- 
ciety turned  this  work  over  to  the  Bethany  Society  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  As  the  society  had  no 
hospital  of  its  own  at  the  beginning,  the  deaconesses  were 
trained  in  the  ^'Charite,"  the  famous  hospital  in  Berlin. 


Rev.  G.  J.  ECKERT,  Superintendent  of 

THE   MAKTHA-MARIA   SOCIETY. 


154        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Besides  the  head  deaconess,  Luise  Schneider,  two  per- 
sons in  particular  rendered  the  Martha-Maria  Society 
great  service;  viz..  Inspector  G.  J.  Eckert  and  the 
Baroness  of  Langenau.  Eev.  G.  J.  Eckert  is  a  talented 
and  successful  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  who  devoted  much  self-sacrificing  work  to  the 
founxling  of  the  society.  Under  his  wise  and  conscien- 
tious direction  the  work  progressed  rapidly  and  safely. 
The  Baroness  of  Langenau  supported  the  institutions  of 
the  society  with  her  means,  and  founded  a  Home  for 

Children  in  Vienna,  which 
is  superintended  by  dea- 
conesses. Concerning  the 
leadings  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence in  her  life,  she  tes- 
tifies as  follows: 


^'After  my  betrothal  I 
was  very  happy.  I  lived 
at  various  European  courts, 
where  my  husband  repre- 
sented    the     Emperor     of 

LuisE  Schneider,  Austria    as  ambassador. 

Head  Deaconess.         ti*-  t  -i      t  •  J^ 

Meanwhile  i  was  inwardly 
conscious  of  a  great  void,  and  all  the  joys  of  the  world 
could  not  fill  it.  Suddenly  my  only  child  died,  and  after 
a  few  years  my  husband  also.  I  was  left  alone,  a  broken- 
hearted widow.  At  the  same  time  I  was  deeply  con- 
vinced of  my  love  of  the  world  and  of  my  sinfulness,  and 
knew  no  helper.  I  now  devoted  myself  to  extensive  char- 
ity work,  hoping  thus  to  find  peace;  but  all  this  served 
to  make  me  self-righteous.  Each  day  my  condition  be- 
came more  unbearable.  One  day  God  guided  my  foot- 
steps to  the  impretentious  hall  in  which  the  Methodists 
were  worshiping.     Here  I  was  shown  the  way  of  salva- 


In  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Sweden.       155 


tion,  and  heard  that  Christ  is  able  and  willing  to  save 
us  if  we  trust  in  him  with  all  our  heart.  I  trusted  him, 
and  a  wonderful  peace,  such  as  I  had  never  known  be- 
fore, filled  my  heart.  I  vowed  (1890)  to  spend  the  re- 
maining days  of  my  life  wholly  in  the  service  of  my 
Master.  There  followed  times  of  bitter  persecution 
and  almost  insur- 
mountable d  i  ffi  - 
culties,  but  I  ex- 
perienced the 
truth  of  t  li  e 
words:  'Our  need 
is  never  greater 
than  our  Help- 
er.^ '' 

Only  eternity 
will  reveal  what 
she  has  done  for 
suffering  human- 
ity and  for  the 
upbuilding  of  the 
kingdom  of  God. 
In  her  the  Dea- 
coness Cause  had 
found  a  devoted 
friend.  She  ex- 
erted no  small  in- 
fluence in  promoting  the  union  of  the  Wesleyan  Synod 
and  the  Conferences  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  Germany.     She  died  August  7,  1902. 

In  the  following  we  shall  give  a  brief  survey  of  the 
history  of  the  several  institutions  of  the  society : 

Nuremberg    (Sulzbacher    Street     79):     This    institu- 
tion was  opened  in  a  rented  house  February  24,  1889. 


Baroness  of  Langenau. 


156 


History  of  the  Deaconess  ]\Iovemext. 


In  1893  the  inagnificent  and  suitable  property  shown 
in  the  cut  was  bought.  The  building,  one  hundred 
and  fourteen  feet  long  and  thirty-six  feet  wide,  is 
situated  in  a  magnificent  garden.  The  Baroness  von 
Langenau  contributed  50,000  marks  for  the  purchase  of 
the  place.     The  property,  with  improvements,  cost  110,- 


^    ^. 


Deaconess  Mother  House  of  the  Martha-Makia 
Society  in  Nuremberg. 

000  marks.  Besides  a  Home  for  the  deaconesses,  the 
building  contains  a  hospital,  a  polyclinic,  and  a  large 
chapel,  in  which  regular  services  are  held.  The  dea- 
conesses are  employed  in  the  hospital  of  the  Mother 
House,  in  private  nursing  and  parish  nursing,  and  five 
deaconesses  are  employed  in  the  Sebastian  Hospital.  The 
head  deaconess  is  Luise  Schneider.  In  early  youth  she 
felt  the  workings  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  her  heart,  and 


In  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Sweden.       157 


desired  to  devote  her  entire  life  to  the  service  of  suffer- 
ing humanity. 

Magdeburg    (Bismarck  Street  47).     Here  too  the  in- 
stitution developed  from  small  heginnings.    In  the  spring 
of    1891   the   first 
deaconess  was  re- 
ceived  here   from 
fc,,    and 


JSTuremherj 
in  the  year  fol- 
lowing a  settle- 
ment on  Johan- 
nisberg  Street 
was  opened.  In 
1894:  the  beauti- 
ful building  o  n 
Bismarck  Street, 
shown  in  the  cut, 
was  bought  at  a 
cost  of  54,000 
marks.  The 
Baroness  von 
Langenau  m  a  d  e 
the  first  payment 
possible  by  the 
donation  of  22,- 
000  marks.  On 
April  1,  1895, 
the  deaconesses 
moved  into  the 
new  Home.     Sister  Dina  is  head  deaconess 


Deaconess  Home  of  the  Martha-Maria 
Society  in  Magdeburg. 


There  are 

seven  Sisters  in  the  institution;  five  of  them  are  em- 
ployed in  the  "Schwiesau^'  Hospital,  a  city  hospital  of 
Magdeburg,  and  three  in  three  other  hospitals. 

Munich  (Bader  Street  56a).    The  first  beginning  dates 


158 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


back  to  the  year  1889.  Ten  years  later  a  magnificent 
property  was  bought  for  57,000  marks.  The  air-line  dis- 
tance from  the  Council  Hall  is  eight  hundred  meters, 
and  the  house  is  excellently  adapted  to  the  purposes  of 
an  institution.  Sister  Johanna  (Schoedel)  superintends 
the  institution  as  head  deaconess. 

HeiTbronn.  In  this  flourishing  city  of  traffic  and  in- 
dustry, the  society  began  a 
promising  "Filial"  Institu- 
tion in  November,  1899, 
employing  three  deacon- 
esses. 

Ferienheim  Rupprecht- 
stegen.  In  the  romantic 
Eupprechtstegen  in  Swit- 
zerland lies  the  magnifi- 
cent "Ferienheim"  (Rest 
Home).  This  place,  with 
its  quiet  forest  seclusion 
and  its  clear  brooks  full  of 
trout,  seems  to  have  been 
designed  especially  for  the 
Sisters,  who,  after  a  yearns 
burdens  and  trials,  seek  a  place  where  they  may  rest 
and  gain  new  strength  of  body  and  soul  for  their  labor 
of  love. 

After  a  history  of  twelve  years  the  society  possesses 
property  valued  at  315,000  marks,  and  had  a  current 
income  during  the  past  year  of  40,000  marks.  Alto- 
gether there  are  seventy-five  deaconesses  in  the  institu- 
tion, and  the  superintendent  writes:  "If  there  were  five 
hundred  Sisters  at  our  disposal,  they  would  all  have  quite 
enough  to  do."  In  the  first  year  the  allowance  of  the 
deaconess  is  2.50  marks  a  month-  in  the  second  year, 


Deaconess  Home  in  Munich. 


In  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Sweden.       159 

3.30  marks  a  month;  from  the  third  year  to  their  con- 
secration, 3.80  marks  a  month;  after  that  4.80  marks  a 
month.  A  deaconess  is  at  liberty  to  withdraw  at  any 
time.  But  if  she  withdraws  before  she  has  completed 
the  three  years'  course  she  must  refund  the  cost  of  her 
education.  Young  women  and  childless  widows  from 
eighteen  to  thirty-four  years  of  age  are  eligible  as  can- 
didates. A  necessary  requirement  is  the  conviction  of 
a  Divine  call  and  the  love  of  God  shed  abroad  in  the 
heart  through  the  Holy  Ghost.  A  candidate  must,  of 
course,  possess  at  least  a  common  elementary  education 
and  good  health.  Young  women  just  entering  must  pass 
a  previous  probation  of  at  least  fifteen  weeks;  then  they 
are  received  among  the  probationers,  and  assigned  to 
the  course  of  study  at  the  expense  of  the  society.  Be- 
sides private  nursing  and  parish  work,  the  society  contem- 
plates the  founding  of  kindergartens  and  Homes  for  the 
Aged. 

The  Institutions  of  the  Evangelical  Association  in 
Germany  and  Switzerland. 

The  MotJier  House  ''BeiJiescW  in  Elberfeld.  The 
first  institution  of  the  Evangelical  Association  was 
founded  in  Elberfeld.  In  June,  1886,  a  number  of  min- 
isters and  members  of  the  Evangelical  Association  met 
at  Essen  on  the  Kuhr,  to  take  counsel  together  as  to  how 
the  misery  of  the  poor  and  sick  might  be  relieved  and 
the  common  welfare  of  the  people  promoted.  The  result 
of  this  meeting  was  the  founding  of  the  Deaconess  Insti- 
tute "Bethesda"  at  Elberfeld.  A  society  numbering 
about  seventy-five  members  Avas  organized  for  the  pur- 
pose of  raising  the  necessary  funds.  In  August  of  the 
same  year  the  project  took  definite  shape  by  renting  a 
room  at   Elberfeld   and   appointing   two  young  women 


160 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


i-ii^fi*:^ 


as  deaconesses.  Small  and  meager  was  the  beginning, 
but  sure  and  blessed  the  progress  made.  In  1890  a  hos- 
pital was  erected  on  the  Hombuechter  hill  at  Elberfeld, 
which  also  serves  the  purpose  of  a  Mother  House.  This 
was  enlarged  in  1901  by  the  erection  of  a  splendid  ad- 
dition and  the  purchase  of  a  neighj^oring  house,  which 
was  fitted  up  for  a  Home  for  the  Sisters.  Up  to  the 
time  of  the  erection  of  the  Mother  House  the  deacon- 
esses  received   their   training   at    different   hospitals    in 

Elberfeld  and 
!  Berlin.  In  the 
course  of  time 
branch  institu- 
tions were  es- 
tablished at  dif- 
f  e  r  e  n  t  places, 
viz. :  at  Berlin 
(1887),  at  Ham- 
burg (1888),  at 
Strassburg  in  Al- 
sace (1889),  a  t 
Dresden  (1891), 
at  Stuttgart 
(1896),  and  Carlsruhe  (1900.)  In  August,  1892,  a  house 
was  secured  at  129  Eitterstrasse,  which  was  fitted  up  as 
a  clinic  and  a  Deaconess  Home.  In  Berlin,  the  Bethesda 
Institution  has  a  hospital  in  a  rented  building,  erected 
for  this  purpose,  at  42  Gneisenaustrasse,  and  at  Solingen 
the  Bethesda  deaconesses  have  charge  of  a  hospital.  In 
rented  quarters  at  Friedrichrode,  a  beautifully  situated 
little  village  in  the  Thuringian  Forest,  there  is  a  Rest 
Home  for  the  Sisters.  Thus  hospital  nursing  is  com- 
bined with  private  nursing.  Only  those  acknowledged  as 
the  best  physicians  are  employed  at  the  hospitals.     At 


MM 


is^W^ 


Deaconess  Home  "Bethesda,"  in 
Elberfeld.    (The  First  Home.) 


In  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Sweden.       161 

Elberfeld  there  are  four,  among  whom  is  Dr.  Tischnerj 
house  physician.  As  there  is  no  distinction  made,  as  re- 
gards religion,  in  the  nursing  of  the  sick,  so  also  the 
religious  profession  of  the  physicians  is  not  considered 
when  they  are  elected;  yet  the  institution  is  conducted 
on  purely  evangelical  principles,  and  no  deaconess  is  ad- 
mitted who  is  not  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Asso- 
ciation, that  the  character  of  the  institution  may  be  pre- 
served.    For  this  reason^  too,  the  management  lies  in 


Dkaconess  Home  "Ebenezer,"  in  Hamburg. 

the  hands  of  the  pastors  and  members  of  this  Associa- 
tion, and  is  sanctioned  by  the  highest  authorities  of  the 
Church. 

In  1901  the  institution  numbered  over  two  hundred 
deaconesses,  distributed  in  the  various  stations  as  fol- 
lows: Elberfeld,  47;  Berlin,  64;  Hamburg,  20;  Dresden, 
27;  Stuttgart,  8;  Carlsruhe,  7;  Solingen,  11.  Besides 
this,  deaconesses  are  appointed  to  parish  work  in  the 
Churches  at  Berlin,  Hamburg,  Dresden,  Koenigsberg, 
11 


162        History  or  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Elberfeld,  Gelsenkirchen,  Dortmund,  Barmen,  Stuttgart, 
Carlsruhe,  and  Eeutlingen.  One  of  the  Bethesda  deacon- 
esses is  serving  at  a  Home  for  the  Aged  in  Philadelphia, 
and  two  are  engaged  in  work  among  children  at  Gros- 
glinike,  near  Berlin,  and  at  Wolfartsweier,  Baden. 

The  institution  is  also  interested  in  the  special  care 
of  the  poor,  and  at  a  number  of  different  places  deacon- 
esses are  appointed  to  visit  them,  care  for  them,  and 
minister  to  them  in  body  and  soul.  About  20,000  marks 
are  expended  annually,  either  in  money  or  in  distributing 
food  and  clothing  among  the  poor.  The  local  institution 
is  directed  by  a  local  Board  consisting  of  seven  members 
or  trustees  elected  from  the  Board  of  Managers,  consist- 
ing of  twenty-five  members.  This  Board  elects  an  in- 
spector (superintendent),  who  directs  the  affairs  of  the 
institution  and  its  representation  abroad.  At  present  Rev. 
G.  Barchet,  of  Elberfeld,  holds  this  office.  He  is  allowed 
three  assistants  (chosen  from  the  Board)  to  aid  him  in 
the  discharge  of' his  duties. 

The  institution  enjoys  the  good  will  of  the  Govern- 
ment and  the  people.  It  has  been  incorporated,  and  has 
received  public  official  recognition  by  a  small  endowment. 
In  time  of  war  it  engages  to  supply  nurses  for  the  battle- 
field, and  also  loans  portions  of  its  garden  land  for  the 
erection  of  barracks.  In  1901  a  total  of  6,123  visits  were 
made  to  the  sick  and  the  poor.  Sixty-three  manual- 
training  schools  were  conducted  with  an  attendance  of 
2,128  poor  children,  and  two  hundred  and  sixteen  Sun- 
day-schools with  an  attendance  of  10,136  children.  The 
Ladies'  Working  Societies  met  eighty-eight  times,  with 
an  attendance  of  1,042.  Young  Ladies'  Societies  met  242 
times,  with  an  attendance  of  12,291.  About  64,900  peri- 
odicals were  distributed  to  individual  persons.  This  is 
certainly  an  encouraging  year's  work.     The  connection 


In  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Sweden.      163 

with  the  branch  institution  at  Strassburg  was  severed  in 
May,  1892,  and  the  latter  was  transferred,  with  several 
deaconesses,  to  the  care  of  a  newly-organized  society  for 
Alsace  and  Switzerland.  This  new  society,  whose  inspec- 
tor is  N.  G.  Shaefer,  numbers  forty-eight  Sisters. 

Mother  House  in  Strassburg.  In  1889  a  second 
Mother  House  was  founded  by  the  pastors  of  this  Church 
in  Strassburg.  The  beginning  was  very  humble,  but  its 
development  was  all  the  more  surpising.  Two  deacon- 
esses from  Elberfeld  moved  into  a  room  of  the  parsonage 
in  Strassburg.  Shortly  after  their  arrival,  while  mak- 
ing her  house-to-house  visits,  one  of  the  deaconesses 
found  a  Jewish  lady  in  an  attic  room.  When  the  latter 
was  told  the  purpose  of  the  visit  she  praised  God  with 
a  loud  voice  for  having  heard  her  prayer  and  having 
sent  this  messenger  of  peace  in  the  hour  of  need.  From 
that  time  the  deaconesses  became  known  in  wider  circles, 
and  so  many  doors  were  opened  to  them  that  two  more 
deaconesses  were  called  to  their  assistance.  A  dwelling 
was  rented,  and  as  it  became  evident  that  the  institution 
would  develop  more  rapidly  independently  of  the  Mother 
House  in  Elberfeld,  the  connection  was  severed  in  1892. 
The  management  is  in  the  hands  of  three  pastors  of  the 
Switzerland  Conference  and  two  lay  members  of  the 
Church  in  Strassburg.  The  society  is  known  as  the 
"Bethesda-Verein  fuer  allgemeine  Krankenpflege  im 
Elsass  urid  in  der  Schweiz.*'  Pastor  N.  G.  Shaefer  was 
the  discreet  and  practical  inspector  of  the  society  from 
the  beginning,  but  in  1902  he  was  called  to  his  reward. 
In  the  fall  of  1892  a  station  was  founded  in  Colmar, 
Alsace,  and  a  fine  piece  of  property  bought.  This  Home 
affords  the  deaconesses  their  requisite  periods  of  rest  and 
recuperation.  As  far  as  the  available  room  will  permit, 
private    patients    are    also    received    here.      To-day    the 


In  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Sweden.       165 

Strassburg  ]\Iother  House  has  a  promising  station  in 
Zurich  besides  the  branch  stations  in  Colmar  and  Muehl- 
hausen.  Naturally  Strassburg  remained  the  largest  field 
of  labor,  and  it  became  possible  to  purchase  a  beautiful 
house  centrally  located,  which  serves  the  Bethesda  So- 
ciety as  Mother  House.  At  present  the  society  numbers 
sixty-five  deaconesses,  who  are  in  great  demand  because 
of  their  faithfulness  and  competence.  The  most  urgent 
requests  on  the  part  of  military  as  well  as  the  city  author- 
ities and  private  clinics  must  be  refused  for  want  of 
workers.  March  13,  1896,  the  society  was  granted  charter 
privileges.  The  financial  progress  is  shown  by  the  fol- 
lowing figures:  The  receipts  for  the  first  year  were  3,651 
marks;  disbursements,  2,827  marks.  The  annual  report 
of  1900  shows  receipts  38,988  marks;  disbursements, 
37,985  marks.  All  these  institutions  rest  on  a  solid 
financial  basis,  and  the  society  is  making  perceptible 
progress  from  year  to  year. 

Deaconess  Home  'T>ethel"  of  the  Baptist  Church 
IN  Berlin. 

This  institution  was  founded  by  Rev.  Edward  Scheve, 
an  honored  and  talented  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  in 
Berlin,  who  has  since  then  been  its  superintendent.  His 
like-minded  wife  was  a  great  help  to  him  in  the  develop- 
ment and  promotion  of  this  most  successful  work.  In 
February,  1885,  he  founded  the  "Martha"  Deaconess  So- 
ciety, the  purpose  of  which  is  indicated  in  the  following 
words  of  the  constitution:  "The  object  of  this  society 
is  to  encourage  all  of  its  members  to  engage  in  per- 
sonal work  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  to  further  this 
object  the  Quarterly  General  Assemblies  shall  lend  their 
especial,  aid.     The  further  purpose  of  the  society  is  to 


166 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


train  and  employ  suitable  deaconesses  in  the  work  of 
Christian  charity,  particularly  as  nurses  and  as  mission- 
aries among  their  own  sex/' 

After  Pastor  Scheve  had  founded  the  society  the  chief 
thing  was  still  lacking — the  deaconesses.  In  the  summer 
of  1887  a  deaconess  from  Stettin  unexpectedly  came  to 
Berlin,  requesting  that  she  might  be  employed  by  the 
Martha  Society.  Pastor  Scheve  received  her  as  a  mem- 
ber of  his  family,   and   employed  her   as  parish   nurse. 


Rev.  Ed.  Soheve,  Supt. 


Mbs.  B.  Scheve. 


When  in  the  following  year  another  Sister  came  he  rented 
a  small  room,  six  by  twelve,  and  in  this  modest  way 
opened  the  Deaconess  Institution  "Bethel"  in  Berlin. 
From  this  unpretentious  beginning  a  widespread  and 
richly-blessed  work  of  Christian  charity  has  developed. 
According  to  the  last  annual  report  at  hand  (1900),  sev- 
enty-seven deaconesses  are  at  work;  forty-six  are  em- 
ployed in  Berlin,  twelve  in  Hanover,  and  eight  in  Koenigs- 
berg.  Besides  these,  there  is  one  parish  deaconess  in 
Endersbach  (Wurtemberg),  who  nurses  at  various  places 
under  the  direction  of  a  committee  and  a  physician.    Two 


In  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Sweden.       167 


;  fill 


deaconesses  are  doing  good  work  in  Zurich,  two  are  super- 
intending'a  hospital  in  Southern  liussia,  two  are  at  work 
in  Eussian  Poland,  two  are  in  India  as  missionaries,  and 
two  more  in  Kamernn,  Africa. 

The   Mother  House  "Bethel"  is  in  Berlin.     It  is   a 
magnificent  huilding  erected  on  Emden  Street,  No.   15. 
To  the  right  on  the  ground  floor  there  is  a  confectionery, 
and  immediately  to   the  left 
of  the  entrance  the  bookstore 
"Bethel"  of  the  Baptist  Mis- 
sion.   Back  of  the  store  is  the 
office.     At   the   extreme   left 
is    the    large    chapel    in    the 
rear  of  the  building.     Above 
the  gateway  is  the  inscription, 
"Serve   the   Lord  with  glad- 
ness.^^    Entering  through  this 
gateway    into    the    court,    we 
find  ourselves  in  a  beautiful 
garden    with    a    small    foun- 
tain.    There  is  the  entrance 
to  the  chapel,  which  is  well 
lighted    and    ventilated,    and 
seats  about  four  hundred  per- 
sons.    Eising  above  the  chapel  there  are  two  floors,  with 
about  twenty  rooms.    The  residence  of  the  superintendent 
and  the  parlor  are  located  in  the  front  part  of  the  house, 
on  the  second  floor.     On  the  third  floor  are  the  school- 
rooms of  the  deaconesses  and  the  missionary  pupils,  the 
difl'erent  working-rooms,  the  room  of  the  head  deaconess 
and  teacher,  the  living  rooms  of  the  deaconesses,  and  a 
hall  leading  to  a  wing  containing  the  dining-room  and 
kitchen.     Besides  these,  the  building  contains  thirty-four 
habitable  rooms  that  are  now  rented,  and  are  later  on  to 
be  used  for  the  purposes  of  the  institution. 


Deaconess  Home  "Bethel, 
IN  Berlin. 


168        History  of  the  Deaconess  ^Iovemext. 

As  the  ]\[artha  Society  has  no  hospital,  the  deaconesses 
are  trained  in  nursing  in  the  royal  Charite  and  in  the 
famous  hospital  "Friedrichshain/^  The  course  usually 
covers  six  months.  Besides  being  employed  as  parish 
nurses  and  nurses  of  the  poor,  the  deaconesses  do  private 
nursing,  and  a  number  of  them  are  superintending  pri- 
vate hospitals.  In  Berlin,  Sister  Caroline  Jenner  is  head 
deaconess;  in  Hanover,  Mathilda  Kubling;  and  in  Koe- 
nigsberg,  Sister  Csecilie  Ehlers. 

During  the  past  year  the  institution  received  1,467 
requests  for  deaconesses,  of  which  only  754  could  be  com- 
plied with.  The  current  receipts  for  1900  were  40,286 
Reichsmarks.  The  Deaconess  Home  "Bethel"  in  Berlin, 
including  the  inner  equipment,  cost  177,000  marks,  and 
there  is  a  mortgage  on  the  property  of  126,000  marks. 
In  Buchow,  Switzerland,  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
institution  have  fitted  up  a  Rest  Home.  Inspector  Schove 
closes  his  last  an-nual  report  with  the  following  beautiful 
Avords:  "When  I  consider  the  life  of  the  deaconesses  in 
their  Home,  their  blessed  work  among  the  sick  and  the 
well,  their  happy  and,  in  many  respects,  privileged  station 
in  life,  I  forget  all  the  care  and  lal)or  connected  with  the 
work,  and  am  grateful  to  our  Heavenly  Father  that  he  has 
given  us  an  institution  in  which  our  young  women  have 
an  opportunity  to  be  useful  in  the  service  of  suffering 
humanity  and  to  find  for  themselves  an  occupation  that 
fully  satisfies  them  in  soul  and  body.'' 

The  Deaconess  Woek  of  the  Methodist  Church  in 
Sweden. 

Rev.  Dr.  K.  A.  Jansson,  a  Methodist  preacher  in 
Sweden,  writes  as  follows:  "A  number  of  Methodist 
Churches,  located  at  Gefie,  Matheus,  Upsala,  Stockholm, 
St.   Peter,   Norrkoping,   Gothenburg,  etc.,  have  employed 


liV  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Sweden.       109 


Sisters  during  the  last  ten  years  to  do  city  mission  work. 
They  were  neither  trained  nurses  nor  were  they  eonse- 
created  deaconesses;  but  they  visited  the  poor  and  the 
sick,   and   were 
holpmaids    of    tlic 
pastors.     In   190(* 
a    few     interests  I 
p  e  r  so  n  s    organ- 
i  z  e  d    a    Deacon- 
ess   Society    in 
Gothenburg.    The 
next  Annual  Con- 
ference   approved 
of  it,  and  there- 
upon  the   society 
rented    a    room 
and     employed 
Anna    K  a  j  s  e  r , 
who  had  received 
a     nurse-training 
in    the    city    hos- 
pital   at    Gothen- 
burg.     At    the 
Annual      Confer- 
ence in  1901  she 
was     consecrated 
by    Bishop     Vin- 
cent, and  thereby  became  the  first  Methodist  deaconess  in 
Sweden.     The  society  at  once  sent  several  young  ladies  to 
Hamburg  for  training,  and,  upon  their  return,  hopes  to 
dedicate  a  large  Deaconess  Home  and  open  up  a  Dea- 
coness Work  on  a  larger  scale.^^ 


Anna  Kaj^^er,  first  Methodist 
Deaconess  in  Sweden. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  DEACONESS  CAUSE  IN  ENGLAND  AND  SCOTLAND 

In  no  part  of  Europe  has  the  life  of  the  Church  de- 
veloped with  so  much  freedom  from  lack  of  restriction 
as  in  England;  in  no  other  part  has  it  been  more  greatly 
enriched  in  its  outward  expression  and  inner  force.  The 
other  branches  of  Protestant  Christianity  on  the  Conti- 
nent have  been  greatly  quickened  in  all  the  various  fields 
of  Christian  charity  by  the  vigorous  and  practical  forms 
of  Christian  activity  exhibited  in  England.  This  is  espe- 
cially true  of  Germany.  In  a  previous  chapter  we  have 
seen  how  Fliedner's  great  plans  matured  during  his  trav- 
els in  England  J  and  from  the  same  source  Wichern  re- 
ceived an  impulse  and  inspiration  for  his  extensive  enter- 
prises. Johann  Falke  and  Count  of  Recke-Vollmarstein 
received  large  donations  from  England  for  the  founding 
and  development  of  their  institutions  and  societies.  Much 
enthusiasm  was  kindled  by  Hannah  More  through  her 
pamphlets,  which  were  widely  circulated  in  Germany,  and 
by  Elizabeth  Fry  during  her  extensive  travels  in  Germany. 
Numerous  women's  societies  were  organized,  whose  work 
was  not  in  vain.  The  newly  pulsating  spiritual  life  that 
was  manifest  in  all  parts  of  the  United  Kingdom  as  a 
result  of  the  great  awakening  in  the  eighteenth  century, 
and  the  clear  and  intelligible  doctrine  of  a  personal  ex- 
perience of  salvation,  called  forth  that  burning  love  for 
sinners  that  continually  summoned  to  personal  work  for 
the  Master.  Add  to  this  the  practical  turn  of  mind  of 
English  Christians  which  easily  accommodates  itself  to 

170 


In  England  and  Scotland.  171 

existing  circumstances,  and  it  would  seem  that  England 
must  be  the  most  favorable  soil  for  the  growth  of  this 
new  and  beautiful  plant  of  Christian  charity.  Strange 
to  say,  however,  this  was  not  the  case,  and  to  this  day  the 
Deaconess  Cause  has  not  developed  in  England  as  it  might 
have  been  expected  to  do.  As  in  Germany,  so  also  in 
England,  the  beginnings  of  the  Deaconess  Movement  are 
antedated  by  interesting  events.  And  if  one  would  un- 
derstand this  movement,  he  must  consider  the  ecclesias- 
tical and  social  changes  that  have  taken  place  during  the 
past  three  or  four  generations.  In  the  seventeenth  and 
the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  public  ap- 
pearance of  women  in  Christian  work  is  scarcely  known, 
and  perhaps  in  no  period  of  Church  history  was  the  co- 
operation of  woman  less  sought.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
Reformation  the  cloisters  were  closed,  the  only  remaining 
opportunity  for  the  exercise  of  Christian  benevolence  by 
Avomen  being  thus  cut  off.  But  it  can  be  truly  said  to  the 
credit  of  the  cloisters  that  they  had  accomplished  much 
in  the  training  of  the  youth,  in  charitable  work,  and  in 
self-denying  sacrifice.  Perhaps  it  was  a  compensation 
that  the  clergy  were  now  permitted  to  marry,  whereby 
woman  to  a  greater  extent  became  a  coworker  in  the  life 
of  the  parish.  Aside  from  this,  however,  there  was  little 
encouragement  for  her  to  take  part  as  a  co-laborer  in  the 
kingdom  of  God.  Not  before  the  latter  half  of  the  eight- 
eenth and  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century  was 
there  a  change  for  the  better,  due  in  large  measure  to  the 
awakening  called  forth  by  Wesley.  John  Wesley  tore 
down  all  traditional  barriers  and  opened  new  spheres  for 
the  activity  of  woman.  He  appointed  women  as  teachers 
in  the  Sunday-school,  permitted  them  to  pray  in  public, 
to  speak  in  class-meetings  and  love-feasts,  and  made  the 
various  offices  of  the  Church  accessible  to  her,  with  the 


172        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

one  exception  that  she  was  not  permitted  to  enter  the 
ministry.  His  example  was  followed  by  others.  The  bar- 
riers disappeared  more  and  more,  and  new  spheres  of 
Christian  activity  were  constantly  opened  to  women. 
Wesley  knew  how  to  use  the  talents  and  the  peculiar 
influence  of  woman  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  kingdom 
of  God.  Susanna  Wesley,  Countess  Huntingdon,  Lady 
Fitzgerald,  Lady  Maxwell,  Lady  Glenorchy,  Hester  Ann 
Eogers,  Sarah  Ryan,  Sarah  Crosby,  Sarah  Lawrence,  Eliz- 
abeth Kitchie,  Grace  Murray,  Elizabeth  Evans,  Elizabeth 
Wallbridge,  and  many  others,  exerted  a  mighty  influence 
in  their  age.  Their  hearts  yearned  for  the  salvation  of 
their  fellow-men,  no  sacrifice  was  too  great  for  them,  and 
their  entire  influence  was  devoted  to  the  cause  of  the 
Master. 

An  event  in  the  life  of  Susanna  Wesley  is  worthy  of 
mention  here  on  account  of  its  historic  importance.  Dur- 
ing the  somewhat  extended  absence  of  her  husband,  Dr. 
Samuel  Wesley,  rector  of  the  parish,  the  pious  mother  of 
the  two  Wesleys  conducted  religious  services  in  the  par- 
sonage at  Epworth.  At  first  the  rector  did  not  seem  to 
countenance  the  action  of  his  wife,  but  after  she  had  in- 
structed him  in  regard  to  the  nature  and  purpose  of  these 
meetings  he  finally  acquiesced.  He  had  a  vicar  who  was 
so  little  adapted  to  his  office  that  he  emptied  the  church.. 
A  number  of  the  members  of  the  Church,  therefore,  asked 
the  wife  of  the  rector  that  they  might  be  permitted  to 
participate  in  the  family  services  held  in  the  parsonage 
Sunday  afternoon.  Susanna  Wesley  granted  the  request. 
The  attendance  increased,  and  the  parsonage  soon  became 
too  small.  Mrs.  Wesley  usually  read  a  sermon  to  those 
assembled.  When  her  husband  in  London  protested,  she 
explained  the  matter  in  a  letter  addressed  to  him,  and 
closed  thus:  "If  after  all  this  vou  think  fit  to  dissolve 


Ix    EXGLAXD   AND    SCOTLAND.  173 

this  assembly,  do  not  tell  me  you  desire  me  to  do  it,  for 
that  will  not  satisfy  my  conscience,  but  send  your  positive 
command  in  such  full  and  express  terms  as  may  absolve 
me  from  all  guilt  and  punishment  for  neglecting  this 
opportunity  for  doing  good,  when  you  and  I  shall  appear 
before  the  great  and  awful  tribunal  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  The  rector  was,  of  course,  not  willing  to  assume 
this  responsibility;  therefore  these  meetings  were  con- 
tinued, and  the  result  was  a  thorough  spiritual  awaken- 
ing in  the  parish,  so  that,  upon  the  return  of  the  rector, 
the  church  was  hardly  large  enough  to  hold  the  attentive 
and  hungering  souls  who  assembled  on  each  Lord's  day. 

In  a  similar  manner  John  Wesley,  originally  a  very 
conservative  clergyman  of  the  Established  Church,  was  led 
step  by  step  in  regard  to  the  woman  question.  Gradually 
he  recognized  the  importance  of  opening  new  channels 
of  activity  for  women,  and  assigned  to  them  an  extended 
sphere  of  Christian  usefulness.  Thus  the  cause  of  tem- 
perance, the  anti-slavery  movement,  the  missionary  work, 
and  numerous  other  great  movements,  had  a  mighty  sup- 
port in  woman,  and  from  that  time  forward  she  frequently 
led  in  great  reformatory  efforts.  So  to  Methodism  be- 
longs a  share  of  the  credit  given  the  Friends  for  the  im- 
pulse given  to  a  healthy  reform  in  the  woman  question. 
Among  the  pioneers  in  this  sphere  must  also  be  reckoned 
Hannah  More  (1745-1833),  who  devoted  herself  entirely 
to  the  service  of  the  destitute  classes.  She  erected  schools 
for  the  poor,  provided  wholesome  literature,  and  sought 
to  improve  the  condition  of  the  most  needy  in  every  pos- 
sible way.  Elizabeth  Fry,  Sarah  Martin,  Florence  Night- 
ingale, Agnes  Jones,  and  many  other  prominent  women, 
rendered  noble  service  in  prisons  and  among  all  classes 
of  the  neglected. 

The  cities  grew  rapidly,  and  the  problem  of  bringing 


174-        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

the  masses  that  were  alienated  from  the  Church  and  from 
God  nnder  the  influence  of  the  gospel  became  more  and 
more  urgent.  The  clergy  were  helpless,  and  even  if  they 
had  been  willing  they  would  not  have  been  able  to  do 
the  immense  work.  Co-laborers  were  called  for,  and  as 
in  the  days  of  the  apostles  woman  stepped  to  the  front. 
Numerous  organizations  Avere  formed — Sunday-schools, 
district  aid  societies,  temperance  societies,  women's  clubs, 
guilds  and  associations  of  all  kinds.  Meetings  were  held 
for  children  and  mothers,  manual-training  schools,  sew- 
ing schools,  and  night  schools  were  organized,  and  city 
mission  work  of  every  sort  was  begun.  Attention  was  also 
called  to  the  lack  of  female  nurses,  and  to  the  example  of 
the  Sisters  of  Mercy  in  the  Catholic  Church,  just  as  it 
had  formerly  been  done  in  Germany.  The  well-known 
English  writer,  Southey,  who  in  his  youth  had  fought 
under  Wellington  against  Napoleon,  and  had  learned  to 
know  the  blessed  work  of  the  Sisters  of  Mercy  on  the 
battletields  and  in  the  field  hospitals,  wrote :  "It  is  a  great 
loss  to  England  that  we  have  no  Sisters  of  Mercy.  There 
is  nothing  Eomish,  nothing  unevangelical  in  such  organ- 
izations; nothing  but  what  is  right  and  sacred;  nothing 
but  what  belongs  to  that  religion  which  the  apostle  James 
has  described  as  ^pure  and  undefiled  before  God  and  the 
Father.^  .  .  .  Thirty  years  hence  England  may  also  have 
her  Sisters  of  Mercy .^^  Southey's  prophecy  became  true, 
and  his  call  did  not  remain  unheeded,  although  it  did  not 
at  once  bear  the  desired  fruit.  The  extraordinary  success 
of  the  Deaconess  Work  in  Germany  could  not  fail  to  in- 
fluence England,  and  the  attention  of  the  English  public 
was  called  to  Kaiserswerth  and  the  other  prosperous  Dea- 
coness Institutions  on  the  Continent  by  Miss  Florence 
Nightingale  and  Elizabeth  Fry. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  call  attention  in  this  connec- 


In  England  and  Scotland. 


175 


tion  to  the  career  of  the  three  principal  pioneers  in 
woman's  labor  of  love.  The  first  is  Florence  Nightingale. 
She  was  horn  in  Florence,  Italy,  in  1823,  where  her  father, 
an  Englishman,  was  residing  at  the  time.  She  was  ex- 
ceedingly talented,  nnassuming  in  her  bearing,  sympa- 
thetic, devout,  and  had  such  winning  ways  that  she  at 


Fr,ORENCE  Nightingale. 


Elizabeth  Fry. 


once  made  friends  of  all  with  whom  she  associated.  While 
yet  young  she  devoted  all  her  powers  to  alleviating  pain 
and  suffering  and  distress,  wherever  met.  She  visited 
houses  of  correction,  prisons,  and  hospitals,  both  in  Eng- 
land and  in  other  countries  of  Europe,  and  made  a  close 
study  of  the  benevolent  societies  of  the  time.  She  also 
acquainted  herself  thoroughly  with  the  rules  and  regu- 
lations of  the  order  of  the  Sisters  of  Mercy.  In  the 
Mother  House  in  Kaiscrswerth  she  found  the  organization 


176        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

she  was  seeking,  and  there  she  prepared  herself  especially 
for  her  important  life-work.  The  defects  of  the  nursing 
of  the  sick  in  England  became  more  and  more  apparent 
to  her,  and  when,  npon  her  return  from  the  Crimean 
war,  a  considerable  sum  of  money  was  presented  her  in 
recognition  of  the  valuable  services  rendered  by  her  and 
her  nurses  on  the  battlefields  and  in  the  field  hospitals, 
she  founded  a  training-school  for  nurses.  This  under- 
taking was  soon  generally  imitated  on  the  Continent. 
Although  these  nurses  were  not  deaconesses,  the  way  was 
thereby  prepared  for  nurses  and  deaconesses.  A  small 
book  published  by  Florence  Nightingale  in  1851,  entitled 
"An  Account  of  Institutes  of  Deaconesses,"  was  widely 
circulated,  and  the  interest  for  the  Deaconess  Cause  in- 
creased so  much  that  many  were  moved  to  write  in  its 
behalf,  and  more  attention  was  devoted  to  it  by  the  press. 

Of  equal  importance  was  the  blessed  influence  and  the 
untiring  activity  of  Elizabeth  Fry.  She  belonged  to  the 
Society  of  Friends,  and  her  motto  was,  "Charity  with  a 
soul  is  the  soul  of  charity."  Without  neglecting  her  large 
famil}^,  she  devoted  herself  principally  to  the  care  of  pris- 
oners, and  has  properly  been  called  "the  female  John 
Howard."  She  planted  a  mustard-seed  of  that  faith 
which  worketh  by  love,  and  it  grew  to  be  a  mighty  tree, 
the  branches  of  which  have  spread  over  land  and  sea.  She 
traveled  in  various  countries,  visited  the  prisons,  founded 
prison  societies,  gathered  collections  of  books,  and  became 
a  shining  example  of  all-embracing  love  for  man,  whose 
influence  was  felt  among  all  classes  of  people.  Her  death 
in  1845  was  mourned  as  generally  as  the  death  of  a  queen. 

A  pioneer  of  the  same  sort  was  Mrs.  Agnes  Jones,  the 
daughter  of  a  rich  aristocratic  family  in  London,  gifted 
and  filled  with  the  love  of  God.  She  had  but  one  passion, 
which  consisted  in  sacrificing  herself  for  the  welfare  of 


In  England  and  Scotland.  177 

others.  She  also  was  trained  in  Kaiserswerth,  and  after 
her  return  devoted  herself  to  efforts  of  reform  in  the  care 
of  the  poor  and  the  sick  of  England,  Later  on  she  super- 
intended a  house  of  correction  in  Liverpool;  here  she 
sacrificed  her  young  life,  dying  after  three  years  of  labor. 
Florence  Nightingale  called  her  the  pioneer  of  nurses  in 
houses  of  correction. 

But  with  all  the  good  intentions  and  untiring  efforts 
of  these  honored  and  influential  women,  to  whom  Kaisers- 
werth  had  been  a  model,  they  did  not  get  beyond  the 
founding  of  schools  for  the  training  of  nurses.  The  less 
restricted  position  and  the  totally  different  training  of 
the  female  sex,  the  greater  differences  and  prejudices  of 
rank  as  well  as  the  differences  of  customs,  may  account 
for  the  fact  that  the  Deaconess  Cause  did  not  prosper  in 
England,  and  that  to  this  day  it  is  of  a  peculiar  type, 
totally  different  from  the  Deaconess  Work  in  Germany. 
"On  the  one  hand,  the  English  women  do  not  possess  the 
spirit  of  service  to  the  same  extent  as  their  German  sis- 
ters; on  the  other  hand,  the  work  has  been  hindered  by 
the  sharply  marked  denominational  contrasts  within  the 
Protestant  Church,  and  especially  by  the  stern  Protestant- 
ism of  the  people,  which  anxiously  recoils  from  the  slight- 
est approach  to  Eoman  Catholic  regulations."  Then  it 
must  also  be  admitted  that  in  England  more  women  are 
active  in  various  lines  of  home  mission  work,  aside  from 
their  domestic  duties,  than  in  any  other  part  of  Europe, 
and  this  more  unrestricted  and  unfettered  mode  of  ac- 
tivity is  better  suited  to  the  English  character  than  the 
method  followed  in  the  Mother  Houses  on  the  Continent. 
Nevertheless  there  is  a  fuller  comprehension  of  the  Dea- 
coness Cause,  and  during  the  past  two  decades  it  has  made 
encouraging  progress.  After  this  general  survey,  let  us 
turn  to  the  institutions  of  the  various  denominations, 
12 


178        History  of  the  Deaconess  Moa^ement. 

The  Deaconess  Cause  in  the  Established  Church  of 
England. 

In  184:6,  Theodore  Fliedner  came  to  London  with  four 
deaconesses  from  Kaiserswerth,  and  introduced  them  to 
their  work  in  the  German  hospitaL  One  year  later  the 
influential  English  clergyman,  Dr.  Pusey,  organized  a 
Sisterhood  in  Park  Village,  a  suburb  of  London.  In  the 
same  year  his  example  was  followed  by  Miss  Sellon  in 
Devonport.  A  strong  movement  had  arisen  in  the  Church 
of  England  at  that  time  called  "Puseyism/'  and  the  result 
w^as  that  a  network  of  Christian  charity  was  spread  over 
the  entire  land.  Unfortunately,  however,  they  were  sail- 
ing full  speed  into  Romanism.  The  Sisterhood  mentioned 
above,  in  which  we  find  the  first  beginnings  of  the  Dea- 
coness Work,  was  accordingly  largely  Roman  Catholic  in 
its  character.  Nevertheless  this  Sisterhood  seems  to  have 
met  a  want,  which  fact  accounts  for  its  great  success.  In 
twenty  years  it  numbered  seven  hundred  to  eight  hun- 
dred members,  and  to-day  the  number  has  increased  to 
two  thousand  in  twenty-five  different  institutions.  This 
organization  has  done  much  along  the  line  of  practical 
charity.  It  labored  chiefly  among  friendless  and  fallen 
women,  and  devoted  itself  to  nursing  the  sick  and  training 
children.  But  on  account  of  its  Romish  coloring  it  met 
with  great  opposition.  There  was  an  ever-increasing  de- 
sire for  an  institution  that  might  be  embodied  in  the 
Church  organism,  and  the  members  of  which  might  be 
under  the  direct  supervision  and  direction  of  the  bishop. 
A  female  auxiliary  pastorate  was  intended;  this  called  for 
devoted  and  talented  women,  whose  lives  must  be  wholly 
given  to  the  service  of  the  Church,  and  who  would  do 
parish  work  in  closest  co-operation  with  the  pastorate. 
In  the  deaconess  office  of  the  Apostolic  Church  the  de- 


In  England  and  Scotland.  179 

sired  sphere  of  labor  was  found,  and  the  undertaking  was 
encouraged  by  the  success  in  Germany.  Meanwhile  Eev. 
W.  Pennefather  had  begun  the  Mildmay  Deaconess  Insti- 
tution in  London  (I860),  and  had  operated  the  same  with 
great  success;  but  the  work  was  met  with  prejudice  on  the 
part  of  the  Established  Church,  because  the  deaconesses 
had  not  been  ordained  by  the  imposition  of  the  bishops' 
hands  and  because  the  office  was  not  embodied  in  the 
Church  organism.  In  short,  from  the  view-point  of  the 
Established  Church  the  institution  was  conducted  too  lib- 
erally and  too  loosely.  The  matter  was  brought  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  public  through  a  book,  entitled  "Diac- 
onate  of  Women,"  and  published  in  the  beginning  of  the 
sixties  by  the  learned  Dean  Howson  of  the  Established 
Church.  In  the  year  1858  the  question  had  been  pre- 
sented to  the  Convocation  of  clergymen,  and  thoroughly 
ventilated  there.  The  founding  of  an  institution  had 
been  recommended,  and  the  bishops  requested  to  appoint 
a  committee  for  joint  counsel.  The  Upper  House,  con- 
sisting of  bishops  and  presided  over  by  an  archbishop,  ex- 
pressed its  joy  at  what  had  so  far  been  accomplished,  but 
thought  it  too  early  to  fix  rules  and  regulations.  Thus 
thirteen  years  more  passed  by  before  a  diaconate  proper 
was  officially  embodied  in  the  Church  organism,  although 
the  subject  had  at  various  times  been  presented  to  Church 
Congresses  and  Diocesan  Conferences. 

Meanwhile  the  first  Deaconess  Institution  of  the  Es- 
tablished Church  really  meriting  the  name  was  founded 
in  1861.  Archbishop  Tait,  at  that  time  Bishop  of  the 
Diocese  of  London,  installed  in  office  Elizabeth  Catharine 
Ferard  as  the  first  deaconess  of  the  Established  Church  of 
England.  Her  training  for  the  work  was  received  in 
Kaiserswertk,  and  her  heart  glowed  with  desire  to  see  a 
Female  Diaconate  similar  to  that  in  Germany  introduced 


180        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

into  England.  Aided  by  Dean  Champneys  and  Rev.  Phel- 
ham  Dale,  she  founded  the  first  Deaconess  Institution  in 
Xorth  London,  and  Archbishop  Tait  assumed  the  super- 
intendency.  Catharine  Ferard,  who  was  head  deaconess 
of  the  institution  for  twelve  years,  at  the  same  time 
founded  an  elementary  school  for  poor  children,  and  fitted 
up  a  small  hospital  in  the  same  house.  This  allorded  the 
probationers  an  opportunity  for  training  both  in  the  work 
of  education  and  in  nursing.  Unfortunately  the  young 
enterprise  had  to  contend  with  great  difficulties  and  al- 
most unconquerable  prejudices;  there  was  also  a  lack  of 
young  women  who  were  willing  to  devote  themselves  to 
this  calling.  Miss  Ferard  died  in  1883.  Meanwhile  sev- 
eral other  institutions  had  been  founded,  and  the  bishops 
had  become  aware  of  the  great  practical  importance  of  the 
Deaconess  Work. 

As  already  indicated,  two  tendencies  manifested  them- 
selves in  the  Established  Church  at  an  early  period,  and 
to  this  day  the  "Diocesan"  Institutions  and  the  Sister- 
hood oppose  each  other.  The  members  of  the  latter  are 
called  "Sisters,"  as  distinct  from  the  term  "deaconess." 
These  two  terms  have  a  different  meaning  in  the  High 
Church  of  England  from  their  meaning  in  the  institutions 
of  other  Churches,  especially  those  on  the  Continent. 
The  Sisters  of  the  "Sisterhood"  are  never  called  deacon- 
esses, although  the  deaconesses  usually  are  also  called 
"Sisters."  A  "deaconess"  is  a  member  of  a  Mother 
House;  her  entire  time  and  strength  is  given  to  the  serv- 
ice of  Christian  beneficence;  she  takes  no  vow,  and  can 
therefore  dissolve  her  connection  and  return  to  her  fam- 
ily without  casting  any  reflection  upon  herself.  The 
members  of  the  "Sisterhood"  on  the  contrary,  like  the 
nuns,  must  take  the  threefold  vow  of  poverty,  celibacy, 
and  obedience,  with  the  proviso,  hoAvever,  that  they  may 


In  Exglaxd  axd  Scotland.  181 

resign  again,  if  circumstances  compel;  but  the  conditions 
are  similar  to  the  rules  and  principles  to  which  the  Sisters 
of  Mercy  are  subjected.  The  garb  of  the  Sisters  is  ex- 
actly like  that  of  the  nuns.  They  call  the  Sister  Superior, 
"Mother,"'  and  installation  can  occur  only  according  to 
special  instructions  of  the  bishop.  The  chief  motive  that 
leads  Sisters  into  the  Union  is,  for  the  greater  |)art,  merit, 
as  they  would  "purchase  to  themselves  a  good  degree." 
(1  Tim.  iii,  13.)  The  main  purpose  of  the  Sisterhood  is 
religious  fellowship  above  all  else,  whereas  the  deacon- 
esses enter  the  Mother  House  for  Christ's  sake  and  for 
the  purpose  of  benevolent  work.  The  latter  follow  the 
call  into  the  field  white  for  the  harvest,  and  are  trained 
for  the  sole  purpose  of  ministering  to  the  physical  and 
spiritual  needs  of  their  fellow-men  and  of  saving  their 
souls;  the  former  seek  personal  edification.  That  the 
Sisterhood  is  so  extraordinarily  popular  is  evidence  that 
the  extreme  tendency  of  the  Established  Church  of  Eng- 
land in  doctrine  and  practice  is  very  similar  to  the  Eoman 
Catholic  Church.  The  Diocesan  Deaconess  subscribes  to 
less  restricting  principles,  and  the  two  chief  tendencies 
of  the  Established  Church  have  found  their  most  definite 
expression  in  the  organizations  mentioned. 

The  Diocesan  Institutions  adopted  the  garb,  the  rules 
of  order,  and  the  plan  for  training  adopted  by  the  Mother 
House  in  Kaiserswerth.  At  first  they  also  joined  the 
Kaiserswerth  Conference;  but  they  severed  their  connec- 
tion with  the  same  in  the  eighties.  This  separation  may 
be  due  to  the  Back-to-Eome  Movement  in  the  High 
Church.  Unfortunately  in  all  English  institutions  the 
curse  of  social  rank  was  not  broken.  As  many  Sisters  of 
the  Sisterhood,  so  also  many  deaconesses  of  the  Diocesan 
Institutions  belong  to  the  nobility,  and  as  frequently 
great  wealth  is  at  their  disposal  they  usually   sujiport 


182        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

themselves,  thus  gaining  many  privileges  for  themselves. 
For  example,  they  are  frequently  granted  the  privilege 
of  living  in  their  OAvn  homes  and  yet  wearing  the  dea- 
coness garb.  Upon  entering  the  institution  the  deacon- 
esses receive  a  gray  dress  with  a  leather  girdle,  a  white 
hood,  a  black  hat,  and  a  long  veil.  When  the  term  of 
their  probation  has  elapsed  they  receive  a  blue  dress,  and, 
on  a  chord  that  hangs  about  their  neck,  they  wear  a  black 
ebony  cross  set  in  gold.  Their  sphere  of  labor  embraces 
parish  work,  nursing,  visiting  from  house  to  house  among 
the  poor,  visiting  prisons,  conducting  midnight  missions, 
directing  manual  training  schools,  kindergartens,  Sunday-- 
schools, meetings  for  mothers,  Bible  study,  orphanages, 
houses  of  refuge,  and  in  general  beneficent  work  in  all 
branches  open  to  woman. 

Although  the  first  Diocesan  Deaconess  Institution  was 
founded  in  1861,  the  movement  did  not  receive  the  full 
support  of  the  Established  Church  before  1871.  In  that 
year  the  rules  and  principles  were  laid  down  by  which, 
since  then,  all  institutions  have  been  governed.  From 
that  time  this  subject  came  up  regularly  in  all  meetings 
of  the  bishops.  No  one  exerted  a  greater  influence  than 
Dean  Howson.  The  end  he  strove  for  was  the  embodi- 
ment of  the  Deaconess  Cause  in  the  Church  organism, 
which  end,  to  his  great  satisfaction,  was  realized  before 
his  death  (1884).  In  regard  to  the  embodiment  of  the 
Deaconess  Cause  in  the  Church  organism,  the  training 
and  consecration  of  deaconesses,  the  care  exercised  over 
them  by  the  Church,  their  employment,  and  their  sup- 
port, the  Anglican  Church  is  inferior  to  none.  There  the 
office  of  deaconess  has  come  to  be  an  auxiliary  pastorate 
in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  term.  The  only  parallel  in 
modern  times  is  to  be  found  in  the  Deaconess  Work  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States. 


In  England  and  Scotland.  18S 

The  following  is  a  brief  summary  of  the  existing  Di- 
ocesan Institutions :  1.  St.  Andrew's  Deaconess  Institution 
in  West  London.  Founded  by  Bishop  Tait  in  1861. 
Twenty-five  deaconesses.  3.  The  Ely  Diocesan  Institu- 
tion in  Bedford.  Founded  by  Bishop  Harold  Browne  in 
1869.  Four  deaconesses.  3.  The  Broughton  Home  in 
Chester.  Founded  by  Bishop  Jacobson  in  1869.  Six  dea- 
conesses. 4.  The  institution  in  Salisbury.  Founded  by 
Bishop  Moberly  in  1875.  Eight  deaconesses.  5.  The  St. 
Andrew's  Home  in  Portsmouth.  Founded  by  Bishop 
Harold  Browne  in  1879.  Twenty-three  deaconesses.  This 
institution  has  a  Sisterhood  proper,  and  a  training-school 
for  deaconesses.  Lay  Sisters  are  also  trained  here;  i.  e., 
such  young  women  as  do  not  wish  to  become  deaconesses. 
The  deaconesses  of  this  institution  must  take  the  three- 
fold vow  customary  in  the  Sisterhood,  and  the  vow  must 
be  renewed  annually.  6.  All-Saints  Institution  in  South 
Hackney,  X.  E.  Founded  by  Bishop  Walsham  How  in 
1880.  Eighteen  deaconesses.  Here  the  deaconesses  are 
restricted  exclusively  to  parish  work.  7.  The  Xorth  Side 
Institution,  Clapham  Common,  S.  W.,  in  the  Diocese  of 
Rochester.  Founded  by  Bishop  Thorold  in  1887.  Twenty 
deaconesses.  This  institution  is  a  training-school  for 
parish  deaconesses,  and  serves  as  a  Rest  Home  for  Sisters 
that  are  in  need  of  rest.  All  consecrated  deaconesses  are 
stationed  in  outside  parishes.  8.  The  St.  Andrew's  Insti- 
tute in  Exeter.  Founded  by  Bishop  Bickersteth  in  1890. 
Three  deaconesses.  9.  The  Llandaff  Diocesan  Deaconess 
Institute  in  Penarth.  Founded  by  Bishop  Lewis  in  1893. 
Three  deaconesses.  Besides  these,  there  are  Deaconess 
Institutions  in  Lichfield,  Durham,  and  Worcester.  The 
sum  total  of  all  active  consecrated  deaconesses  in  these 
institutions  is  one  hundred  and  twenty-five. 


1S4 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


The  Deaconess  House  in  Tottenham,  London. 

Tottenham  is  a  suburb  of  London,  and  there  the  only 
Mother  House  in  England  is  situated  that  belongs  to 
the  Kaiserswerth  Conference.  The  founder  and  first  super- 
intendent of  this  institution.  Dr.  Michael  Laseron,  was  a 
German.  Born  in  Koenigsberg  as  the  child  of  Jewish 
parents  who  died  while  he  was  still  young,  he  became 
acquainted  with  the  Christian  religion  in  his  seventeenth 

year,  and,  after 
being  soundly 
converted,  was 
sent  to  Lon- 
don by  Chris- 
tian friends,  t ) 
be  educated  in 
the  College  for 
Jewish  Mis- 
sions. Later 
he  studied 
medicine,  and 
became  a  noted 
and  successful  physician.  In  1855  his  only  child  died, 
and,  following  the  wish  of  his  like-minded  wife,  he 
erected  a  Home  for  children,  which  had  a  prosperous 
growth,  and  in  a  short  time  harbored  one  hundred  and 
twenty  children.  Frequent  urgent  requests  being  re- 
ceived for  nurses,  Dr.  Laseron  founded  a  small  hospital 
with  twelve  beds.  Being  acquainted  with  the  Kaisers- 
werth Deaconess  Institution,  he  decided  to  found  an 
institution  in  London  based  on  similar  principles  and 
for  like  purposes.  After  much  thought  and  prayer  he 
presented  his  plan  to  Mr.  Samuel  Morley  (1877).  Mr. 
Morley  donated  $35,000  for  a  Mother  House,  his  brother 


. 

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tef'*~^^ 

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Deaconess  Home  in  Tottenham,  London. 


In  England  and  Scotland.  185 

added  $15,000,  and  in  a  short  time  $20,000  more  had 
been  contributed  by  other  Christian  friends.  Mr.  Laseron 
now  bought  four  acres  of  land,  and  erected  a  Deaconess 
Institution  and  HospitaL  The  first  Sister  entering  upon 
the  work  here  was  from  the  Deaconess  Home  "Beth- 
anien"  in  Berlin,  and  a  Sister  trained  in  Kaiserswerth 
was  head  deaconess.  The  Kaiserswerth  institution  was 
the  founder's  model  as  regards  government,  garb,  rules 
and  regulations,  training,  support,  etc.  The  institution 
prospered,  and  house  after  house  had  to  be  erected.  The 
deaconesses  trained  here  superintend  many  other  hos- 
pitals in  England,  Ireland,  Scotland,  and  even  in  Pales- 
tine and  the  distant  Sierra  Leone  in  Africa.  Besides 
doing  private  nursing  and  nursing  in  hospitals,  the  dea- 
conesses conduct  various  missions  among  factory  girls, 
a  school  for  servants,  an  orphanage,  a  home  for  girls, 
numerous  night  schools,  sewing  schools,  kindergartens, 
and  the  like.  The  Sisters  also  conduct  meetings  among 
the  working  classes,  special  meetings  for  the  police, 
for  letter-carriers,  and  are  generally  active  among 
all  classes  of  people.  Dr.  Laseron,  who  unfortunately 
died  too  soon,  was  very  diligent  in  the  training  of  the 
deaconesses.  He  trained  noble  characters,  and  the  in- 
stitution bears  the  stamp  of  true  piety  and  noble  broad- 
mindedness.  Dr.  Laseron's  last  testimony  was,  "The 
Lord  hath  done  great  things  for  us,  and  hath  blessed 
the  work  of  our  hands.''  The  number  of  deaconesses 
was  never  large,  but  after  Dr.  Laseron's  death  it  de- 
creased from  seventy-five  to  fifty,  and  the  number  of 
branch  stations  from  sixteen  to  eight.  The  new  hos- 
pital is  fitted  out  with  modern  equipments,  and  around 
it  are  grouped  the  numerous  institutions  superintended 
by  the  deaconesses.  The  institution  is  prosperous  at 
present. 


186 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


The  Deaconess  Institution  in  Mildmay,  London. 

The  founder  of  this  institution,  Rev.  William  Penne- 
father,  was  a  clergyman  of  the  Established  Church  of 
England.  His  s_ympathetic  heart,  his  liberality,  and  his 
desire  to  mitigate  the  suffering  of  others,  led  him  into 

huts  of  misery  and  made 
him  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  the  needs  of  the  low- 
est and  most  miserable  in 
the  slums  of  London.  A 
small  institution  founded 
by  him  m  Barnet,  in  the 
year  1860,  was  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Mildmay  Dea- 
coness Institution,  which 
has  now  grown  to  great 
dimensions  and  fame.  He 
had  realized  that,  if  any 
lasting  good  should  come 
to  the  poorer  classes,  it 
must  come  through  the  ac- 
tivity of  Christian  women. 
In  the  execution  of  his 
plan,  however,  he  met  with  great  prejudices  and  strong 
opposition.  But  his  courage  increased  with  the  diffi- 
culties, and  when,  in  1864,  he  moved  from  Barnet,  where 
up  to  that  time  he  had  been  rector  of  Christ  Church, 
to  Mildmay  Park,  where  he  had  accepted  the  call  of  a 
large  and  influential  congregation,  new  doors  were  opened 
to  him,  and  from  the  small  beginning  at  Barnet  a  Dea- 
coness Mother  House  resulted,  that  in  a  short  time  was 
the  center  of  an  extensive  system  of  Christian  benefi- 
cence.    Although  a  clergyman  of  the   Church   of   Eng- 


Rev.  Wm.  Pennefather,  D.  D., 
London. 


Ix    EXGLAND    AND    SCOTLAND.  187 

land  and  acquainted  with  the  Kaiserswerth  institutions, 
he  soon  lost  sight  of  the  definite  aim  of  a  Church  office, 
which  the  institutions  on  the  Continent,  and  especially 
the  Diocesan  Institutions  in  England,  sought  to  realize, 
and  was  more  and  more  governed  by  the  great  thought 
of  an  alliance  which  the  renowned  Mildmay  Conference, 
organized  by  him,  represented.  He  ignored  denomina- 
tional distinctions,  and  received  deaconesses  from  the 
various  Protestant  denominations  into  the  Union.  The 
Mildmay  deaconesses  wear  a  black  garb,  with  a  small 
hat  and  long  veil.  After  a  probation  of  five  years  they 
are  solemnly  consecrated,  but  without  the  imposition 
of  hands.  The  Established  Church  does  not  recognize 
these  deaconesses,  because  they  are  not  installed  ii>  office 
by  the  bishops  through  the  laying  on  of  hands.  They 
do  not  take  a  vow,  and  can  at  any  time  withdraw  upon 
three  months^  notice.  Nevertheless,  when  they  are  re- 
ceived, they  are  expected  to  consider  this  their  life-call- 
ing. Subsequently,  Dr.  Pennefather  called  the  Sisters 
"deaconesses,"  and  his  broad  catholicity  is  expressed  in 
the  following  words,  addressed  to  them:  "Hold  fellow- 
ship with  all  workers  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  even  if 
they  do  not  labor  in  that  portion  of  the  vineyard  in  which 
you  are  placed."  The  Mildmay  deaconesses  are  known 
in  London,  and  their  services  are  much  desired. 

In  Mildmay  there  has  arisen  an  extensive  complex 
of  houses,  and  the  following  institutions  are  situated 
there  amid  lovely  surroundings:  1.  The  Deaconess  Mother 
House.  To  this  all  the  deaconesses  who  in  the  mornino- 
go  out  to  work  in  the  various  parts  of  the  city  must 
return  in  the  evening.  Here  their  welfare  and  future 
support  has  been  j^rovided  for  in  the  best  possible  man- 
ner. Close  by  is  the  Tabernacle  (Conference  Hall),  seat- 
ing three  thousand  persons,  which  was  erected  for  the 


188        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Mildmay  Conference,  and  in  which  annually  pastors  and 
workers  in  the  kingdom  of  God  assemble  from  all  parts 
of  the  world.  The  large  basement  of  this  building,  with 
its  immense  apartments,  is  used  for  various  purposes 
of  the  institution.  During  the  winter  months  a  night 
school  is  conducted  here  with  fifty  different  classes. 
Here  is  the  circulating  library  and  the  headquarters  of 
the  flower-mission,  from  which  forty  thousand  to  fifty 
thousand  bouquets  are  annually  sent  to  the  sick  and 
the  poor.  Every  bouquet  is  accompanied  by  a  passage 
of  Scripture.  When  no  flowers  are  to  be  had,  the  dea- 
conesses take  fruit,  cake,  tea,  or  small  vials  of  lavender- 
water  to  the  sick.  Here  Bible-classes  are  conducted  on 
Sundays  for  men,  women,  and  children.  Adjoining  the 
Conference  hall  is  the  Cottage  Hospital,  in  which  the 
deaconesses  are  trained  in  nursing.  There  is  the  Pro- 
bation House,  and  near  by  the  Junior  Deaconess  Home. 
Besides  the  Mother  House  there  is  another  building,  which 
serves  as  a  training-school  for  those  deaconesses  who 
wish  to  devote  themselves  to  the  work  in  heathen  lands. 
The  Pennefather  Memorial  Home,  erected  a  few  years 
ago  in  memory  of  the  founder  of  the  Mildmay  Institu- 
tion, serves  as  a  home  for  aged  workers,  who  have  sacri- 
ficed their  lives  in  the  service  of  suffering  humanity. 
Besides  these,  there  is  the  Nursing  Home,  in  which  the 
deaconesses  reside  who  nurse  in  private  families.  Since 
Mildmay  also  trains  persons  for  service  in  the  kingdom 
of  God  who  do  not  wish  to  become  deaconesses,  Dr. 
Pennefather  erected  a  separate  Home,  called  "The  Wil- 
lows.^^  Such  persons  receive  the  same  training  as  dea- 
conesses, but  are  not  permitted  to  wear  the  deaconess 
garb.  Besides  the  institutions  mentioned,  there  are  in 
Mildmay  a  Home  for  convalescents,  a  Home  for  chil- 
dren, an  inn  for  servant  girls,  and  other  institutions  of 


Ik  England  and  Scotland.  189 

this  kind.  The  free  and  joyous  sjDirit  here  reminds  the 
visitor  of  home,  and  only  eternity  can  reveal  the  sum 
total  of  the  blessings  proceeding  from  this  place. 

From  Mildmay  our  way  leads  to  Bethnal  Green, 
where  the  Mission  Hospital  is  situated.  In  connection 
with  this  a  free  dispensary  has  been  fitted  up,  in  which 
about  two  hundred  patients  receive  medicine  and  med- 
ical advice  daily.  Before  the  physicians  and  deaconesses 
begin  work,  brief  devotional  exercises  are  held  with  the 
large  number  of  the  poor  and  suifering.  This  hospital 
itself  is  a  five-story  building,  situated  in  one  of  the 
poorest  parts  of  London.  Not  only  the  sick  are  treated 
here,  but  the  poorest  also  receive  food  and  clothing, 
as  far  as  the  means  make  it  possible.  In  Barnet  there 
is  a  home  for  convalescents,  and  on  Trinity  Street  a 
refuge  has  been  opened  for  ruined  girls.  In  Brighton 
there  is  a  Home  for  poor  convalescents,  and  in  Newton 
Green  there  is  an  infirmary.  Simply  defined,  the  Dea- 
coness Work  in  Mildmay  is  threefold — mission  work, 
medical  work,  and  work  in  foreign  lands.  To  support 
all  the  training,  teaching,  mission,  medical,  nursing,  and 
foreign  work  in  connection  with  Mildmay,  some  i25,000 
per  annum  is  needed.  To  meet  this,  there  is  very  earnest 
effort  on  the  part  of  the  Mildmay  workers  themselves. 
None  can  know  as  they  do  how  God  honors  the  ministry 
of  Mildmay  by  bringing  souls  out  of  the  thralldom  of 
Satan  and  enlarging  the  desire  of  God's  children  to 
learn  more  of  his  will  through  the  Word  of  God.  Every 
worker  who  has  the  means  pays  into  Mildmay's  exchequer 
the  cost  of  her  own  maintenance,  and  in  some  cases  more 
than  this  sum  is  added  in  donations.  There  are  others 
who  have  made  it  their  special  object  to  work  for  Mild- 
may's  funds  through  a  trade  effort;  conspicuously  the 
Illumination  Department   stands   out   first   through   the 


190        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

untiring  zeal  of  Miss  E.  St.  B.  Holland  and  those  asso- 
ciated with  her. 

The  method  of  the  Mildmay  Institution  is  very 
elastic^  and  the  sphere  of  lahor  is  more  varied  than  in 
any  other  institution  in  the  United  Kingdom.  These  in- 
stitutions, as  well  as  those  of  the  Wesleyan  Chu,rch  in 
England,  Pastor  Theodore  Schaefer  has  in  mind  when 
he  says  in  his  ^'Geschichte  der  Weiblichen  Diakonie:" 
"They  cultivate  certain  phases  of  the  Diaconate,  but 
they  lack  the  Scriptural  and  historical  foundation,  as 
well  as  the  definite  aim  of  Church  office,  found  in  the 
Continental  institutions."  The  difference  between  these 
and  the  Diocesan  Institutions  is  great;  nevertheless, 
each  can  learn  from  the  other. 

The  Mildmay  Institution  has  stations  on  the  islands 
of  Malta  and  Jamacia,  and  a  medical  mission  in  Hebron, 
Palestine.  The  total  annual  expenditure  is  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  At  least  half  of  this 
amount  is  received  through  voluntary  contributions.  A 
considerable  income  is  received  from  the  sale  of  Bible- 
texts  and  illustrated  cards  for  Church  festivals.  Colonel 
J.  F.  Morton  is  superintendent  and  treasurer  of  the 
institution,  and  the  monthly,  published  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  Mildmay  mission,  is  entitled  Service  for 
the  Ki7ig* 

*  Mr.  Pennefather  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven,  physicaUy  worn  and 
shattered  with  constant  care  and  toil,  but  at  the  very  zenith  of  his  use- 
fulness and  influence.  He  was  pre-eminently  a  man  of  love.  Such  was 
his  natural  amiability  that  none  could  know  him  without  loving  him; 
but  to  this  he  added  the  aggressive  power  of  true  Christian  charity. 
Completely  devoted  to  his  Master's  service,  blessed  with  a  wonderfully 
childlike  faith,  and  possessing  a  habit  of  constant  prayer,  the  man's 
whole  life  was  a  perpetual  sermon,  which  spoke  to  the  heart  much 
more  forcibly  than  any  words.  His  work  is  left  as  a  legacy  to  the 
Church  of  God,  and  up  to  the  present  time  it  has  been  graciously  sus- 
tained. Mr.  Pennefather's  remains  were  laid  In  the  little  country 
churchyard  of  Ridge,  near  Barnet,  amidst  the  tears  of  grateful  hun- 
dreds, to  whom  his  memory  is  blessed. 


Ix  England  and  Scotland.  191 


The  Institutions  of  the  Wesleyan  Methodist 
Church. 

The  Wesleyan  Church  in  England  has  been  inter- 
ested in  the  Deaconess  Cause  since  1888.  The  work  of 
the  Sisters  is  similar  to  that  of  the  deaconesses  in  the 
Mildmay  institutions.  The  institutions  of  the  Wesleyan 
Church  also  lack  the  definite  aim  of  Church  otTice  pur- 
sued on  the  Continent;  but  they  do  deaconess  work  in 
the  fullest  sense  of  the  term.  From  the  beginning  the 
Sisters  were  employed  in  the  following  ways:  1.  In  the 
education  of  children,  as  well  as  in  the  superintendency 
of  orphanages,  asylums,  kindergartens,  and  the  like; 
2.  In  nursing  the  sick;  3.  In  home  and  foreign  mission 
work.  In  1903  the  Wesleyan  Conference  formally 
adopted  the  Wesley  Deaconess  Institutions  as  a  part  of 
its  own  organism.  That  there  has  been  a  lack  of  uni- 
form system  is  shown  by  the  different  kinds  of  organiza- 
tions: 1.  Many  Churches  and  districts  have  secured  the 
services  of  consecrated  and  talented  women  who  are 
not  connected  with  any  organized  society,  but  neverthe- 
less are  active  as  deaconesses  in  city  missions.  They  wear 
a  peculiar  garb,  are  called  Sisters,  and  receive  a  small 
remuneration  for  their  services.  Sisters  having  means 
serve  free  of  charge.  2.  In  connection  with  the  London 
West  Central  Mission,  Rev.  Hugh  Price  Hughes  and  his 
distinguished  assistant.  Rev.  Mark  Guy  Pearse,  organized 
the  society  of  the  Sisterhood.  These  "Sisters  of  the 
People,"  as  they  are  called,  work  in  city  missions  ex- 
clusively, and  as  they  are  members  of  the  Board  of  Di- 
rectors their  position  is  semi-official.  3.  The  Wesleyan 
Deaconess  Institution  has  two  training-schools  in  Eng- 
land and  various  branch  stations  in  other  countries. 
These  organizations  merit  brief  mention  here. 


192        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


Tlie  Sisterhood  was  organized  by  Kev.  Hugh  Price 
Hughes  in  West  London  in  1888.  This  talented  min- 
ister, who  was  known  beyond  the  bounds  of  his  Father- 
hind,  realized  early  that  little  could  be  accomplished 
among  the  poor  and  in  the  slums  of  the  great  city  with- 
out the  co-operation  of   devoted  women.     The   idea   of 

such  a  Sisterhood  was 
first  conceived  as  Mrs. 
Hughes,  the  talented 
wife  of  Eev.  Hugh 
Price  Hughes,  and  one 
of  her  girl  friends 
were  talking,  one  even- 
ing, many  years  ago, 
about  Mazzini,  who 
was  so  successful  in 
inspiring  the  enthusi- 
asm and  devotion  of 
the  nobles  of  Young 
Italy.  With  the  stand- 
ard that  triumphed  for 
a  few  glorious  months 
in  1891,  and  which 
bore  the  legend,  ^Tor 
God  and  the  People," 
the  Sisterhood  is 
closely  bound  up.  Observing  what  was  being  done  by  ladies 
in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  at  one  end  of  the  scale,  and 
by  the  enthusiastic  and  self-denying  w^omen  officers  of  the 
Salvation  Army  at  the  other,  Mrs.  Hughes  saw  that  among 
the  educated  women  of  the  Evangelical  Churches  there 
was  a  great  unused  force,  and  she  was  impressed  with 
the  belief  that  if  only  equal  opportunity  were  given 
them   they   would   show   as   much   earnestness   and    en- 


r^'^ 

-"*  vm- 

- 

^  -  -''^^li^ 

w^^W^ 

■B 

Rev.  Hugh  Price  Hughes. 


Ix    EXGLAND    AND    SCOTLAND.  193 

thiisiasm  as  any  Roman  Catholic  Sister  or  Salvationist 
officer.  Mrs.  Hughes  felt,  moreover,  that  a  definitely 
and  well  organized  community  could  accomplish  what 
to  individual  workers  was  impossible,  especially  in  large 
centers  of  population.  Three  great  principles  seem  to 
have  actuated  her  in  the  development  of  this  invaluable 
and  most  successful  agency. 

The  -first  is,  that  the  Sisterhood  afi'ords  a  sphere  for 
refined,  educated  women,  who,  with  their  superior  priv- 
ileges and  wider  outlook,  can  accomplish  work  and  exert 
an  influence  impossible  to  those  who  have  had  no  such 
advantages.  The  more  gifted  and  cultured  a  woman  is, 
supposing  her,  of  course,  to  be  a  disciple  of  Jesus  Christ, 
the  more  successful  and  efficient  she  is  in  the  work  of 
the  Sisterhood.  The  best  qualified  women  are  those  who 
are  endowed  physically  and  mentally,  as  well  as  spir- 
itually. Education,  culture,  refinement,  with  every  charm 
and  grace  of  womanhood,  only  serve  to  enhance  the  power 
of  service  when  these  gifts  are  laid  at  the  feet  of  Him 
•who  gave  them.  The  second  principle  is,  that  the  Sisters 
are  allowed  opportunity  to  devote  themselves  to  work 
for  which  they  have  special  aptitude.  They  are  per- 
fectly free,  and  are  trusted  absolutely.  If  they  are  not 
worthy  of  confidence  they  are  unfit  for  the  Sisterhood. 
The  third  principle  is,  that  they  are  emphatically  Sisters 
of  the  People.  Unlike  the  Sisters  of  some  other  institu- 
tions, they  are  always  accessible. 

The  following  extract  from  a  book*  recently  pub- 
lished indicates  the  work  of  the  Sisters  of  the  People: 

"The  amazement  of  the  leading  London  journals, 
when,  a  few  years  ago,  Mr.  Arthur  Sherwell  published 
his   volume   on   'Life   in  West   London,'   was   a   striking 


*''HuKh  Price  Hughes,"  by  J.Gregory  Mantle.    New  York:  Eaton 
&  Mains. 
13 


194  HlSTOKY    OF    THE    DeACONESS    MOVEMENT. 

illustration  of  the  proverbial  statement  that  Londoners 
do  not  know  London.  In  the  district  next  to  the  richest 
in  the  world,  Lazarus  still  lies  at  the  doorstep  of  Dives 
and  receives  nothing  more  than  the  crumbs  which  fall 
from  his  table,  and  sometimes  not  even  those.  Within 
a  stone's-throw  of  the  palaces  of  the  princely  are  the 
hovels  and  fever-dens  of  the  starving.  Here  you  find 
every  shade  and  variety  of  life,  from  the  highest  to  the 
lowest;  the  extremes. of  wealth  and  the  extremes  of  pov- 
erty. Here  are  to  be  found  every  variety,  too,  of  creed, 
language,  and  race — Kussians,  Poles,  Swedes,  Nor- 
wegians, Danes,  Dutch,  Belgians,  French,  Germans,  Aus- 
trians,  Hungarians,  Swiss,  Spaniards,  Portuguese,  Italians, 
Jews,  Greeks,  Servians,  Eoumanians,  Turks,  Persians, 
Chinese,  Africans,  and  Americans. 

"That  trinity  of  evil — intemperance,  impurity,  and 
gambling — holds  high  court  in  the  West  Center  of  Lon- 
don. It  is  strange  that  the  very  district  where  Parlia- 
ment sits  should  be  known  as  the  plague-spot  of  the  Em- 
pire. Every  night  Piccadilly  witnesses  scenes  of  shame- 
less vice,  the  awfulness  and  hideousness  of  which  are 
beyond  all  power  of  description.  Boundless  wealth, 
luxury,  and  vice  prey  upon  weakness,  misery,  and  inno- 
cence; and  the  weak,  the  unfortunate,  and  the  helpless 
drift  down  lower  and  ever  lower,  with  few  to  care,  few 
to  pity,  and  fewer  still  to  help.  The  increasing  shame- 
lessness  of  West  End  vice  was  clearly  evidenced  in  an 
interview  with  the  Vicar  of  St.  Martins-in-the-Fields  in 
London.  He  said  that  no  respectable  woman  or  girl 
shopping  in  Eegent  Street  cares  now  to  remain  there 
much  after  four  o'clock." 

"Mr.  Hughes  once  said :  ^West  London  is  the  head- 
quarters of  everything  that  is  cruel  and  wicked  and 
diabolical  in  the  English-speaking  world.    It  is  the  center 


In  England  and  Scotland.  195 

from  wkich  the  poison  of  deadly  sin  radiates  to  every 
city,  town,  and  village  in  the  land.  No  one  who  knows 
West  London  can  doubt  that  the  work  of  Christianity 
is  more  arduous  here  than  anywhere  else  in  this  redeemed 
world.  Two  thousand  years  ago  St.  Paul  realized  that 
the  strategic  point,  the  fateful  spot,  was  Rome;  now  it 
is  London.  For  weal  or  for  woe,  the  future  of  the  British 
Empire,  and  to  a  great  extent  the  future  of  the  human 
race,  depends  upon  London,  and  London  depends  upon 
West  London.  There  is  scarcely  a  Christian  family  in 
the  land  which  does  not  at  some  time  or  other  send  a 
son  or  a  daughter  there,  and  if  these  innocent  children 
of  Christian  homes  fall  in  London — as  thousands  as  in- 
nocent as  they  have  fallen,  and  are  continually  falling — 
they  will  not  fall  in  the  north,  nor  in  the  east,  nor  in 
the  south  of  London,  but  in  the  west.' 

"These  Sisters  of  the  People,  who  spend  their  days 
among  the  poor  and  needy,  and  some  of  them  their  nights 
amidst  the  sinful,  can  tell  terrible  stories  of  tragedy 
and  agony  under  the  glare  of  the  electric  light,  and  be- 
hind the  mask  of  wild  scenes  of  license  and  revelry. 
They  say  it  is  only  as  they  get  into  personal  touch  with 
the  hapless  victims  who  throng  the  streets  of  this  Vanity 
Fair  that  they  have  any  conception  of  their  temptations, 
or  of  the  miserable  hearts  which  so  many  carry  about 
under  all  their  superficial  appearances  of  finery  and 
frivolity.  Nor  has  one  any  conception  of  the  subtlety 
of  the  Satanic  agencies  which  are  at  work  to  entrap  the 
unwary,  and  hold  them  fast  when  once  entrapped." 

In  1888,  Hugh  Price  Hughes  rented  a  house  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  British  Museum,  and  called  it  "Catherine 
Home,"  in  honor  of  his  wife.  There  was-  room  in  it  for 
twelve  Sisters;  but  it  soon  (1891)  was  too  small,  and 
the  institution  was  removed  to  larger  quarters  in  Viceroy 


196        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Square.  There  the  institution  still  is,  and  forms  the 
center  of  extensive  and  successful  city  mission  work. 
The  Sisters  visit  from  house  to  house,  conduct  kinder- 
gartens, meetings  for  mothers,  play-hours  for  children, 
and  several  nurseries,  superintend  an  inn  for  servant 
girls  and  a  labor  bureau,  and  founded  an  aid  society, 
in  which  the  poor  and  poorest  may  safely  deposit  their 
savings.  In  the  notorious  quarters  of  Walthamstow  they 
conduct  a  very  prosperous  midnight  mission.  They  con- 
duct clubs  for  boys  and  girls,  temperance  societies,  and 
young  people's  organizations  of  all  kinds.  The  newest 
experiment  is,  that  two  Sisters  have  rented  a  flat  of  five 
rooms  in  the  slums.  There  they  attend  to  their  simple 
home  duties,  and  give  the  people  object-lessons  in  prac- 
tical housekeeping.  They  show  how,  with  little  means, 
a  small  household  can  be  kept  clean  and  cheerful.  Poor 
women  and  their  children  are  frequently  invited  to  a 
meal,  and  in  that  Avay  the  most  intimate  relation  possible 
is  established  between  the  Sisters  and  the  poor  classes. 
Other  Sisters  are  at  the  head  of  the  Sheen  Society.  This 
society  collects  all  kinds  of  clothes,  new  or  worn,  and 
distributes  them  among  needy  persons.  Each  member 
must  furnish  one  piece  of  clothing  at  least  once  in  three 
months.  When  every  organized  branch  of  work  has  been 
fully  described  there  yet  remains  a  mass  of  untabulated 
work  which  can  not  be  labeled,  but  which  comes  from 
all  sorts  of  unexpected  quarters  and  unexj^ected  per- 
sons. 

"We  have  entered  into  the  lives  of  those  who  live 
in  the  shops,  in  the  squares,  and  in  the  slums  of  West 
London,''  says  one  of  the  Sisters  of  the  People.  "We 
have  fought  in  individual  lives,  drink,  cruelty,  impurity, 
and  infidelity  in  its  lowest  form;  and  what,  perhaps,  is 
even  worse,  selfishness,  callousness,  ignorance,  and  lux- 


In  England  and  Scotland.  197 

ury;  we  have  given  a  voice  to  the  dumh.  We  have  come 
into  the  homes  of  the  poor  quietly  and  naturally,  and 
the  kinship  we  claim  has  been  silently,  unconsciously, 
accepted.  We  know  the  inside  of  the  workhouse,  hos- 
pital, prison,  and  police  court;  we  have  tasted  the  bitter 
cup.  We  have  carried  little  children  in  our  arms,  we 
have  nursed  the  sick,  and  watched  by  the  dying,  and 
comforted  the  grief-stricken.  We  have  lifted  up  the 
fallen  or  the  trodden-down,  and  have  fought  the  battle 
of  the  weak.  We  have  gathered  the  girls  and  the  boys, 
the  young  men  and  women,  with  us  as  we  went  on,  and 
have  shared  our  thoughts,  our  education,  our  best  joys 
with  them.  We  have  seen  Christ  in  every  one,  however 
wicked  and  degraded.  We  have  felt  ourselves  one  with 
every  victim  of  social  injustice  and  wrong,  we  have  borne 
their  griefs  and  carried  their  sorrows,  and  their  iron 
has  entered  into  our  soul.  We  have  kept  our  faith — in 
man,  in  God.     Have  we  justified  our  existence?" 

Rev.  Hugh  Price  Hughes  preferred  the  name  "Sister," 
and  up  to  the  present  time  the  use  of  the  term  "deaconess" 
has  been  avoided.  The  Sisters  are  called  by  their  Chris- 
tian names,  as  is  also  the  case  in  Germany — Sister  Hulda, 
Sister  Clara,  etc.  The  rules  and  the  garb  are  similar 
to  those  of  the  Established  Church,  and  the  Sisters  also 
receive  thorough  training  for  their  profession.  The  Rest 
Home  is  in  Bisley.  Especially  noteworthy  is  the  rescue 
work  of  the  Sisters  in  the  slums  and  destitute  parts  of 
West  London.  Rev.  Hughes  died  in  November,  1902,  and 
at  his  request  these  words  were  placed  on  his  tombstone: 
"Thou,  0  Christ,  art  all  I  want." 

In  East  London  there  are  fifteen  women  min- 
istering to  the  poor,  the  outcast,  the  sick,  and  the  lost. 
At  the  Bermondsey  Settlement,  Miss  Simmons  has  four- 
teen women  residents.     Mr.   and  Mrs.   Champness  have 


198        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


their  Joyful  News  evangelists.  Sisterhoods  are  organized 
in  Central  London,  Manchester,  Leeds,  and  other 
places. 

The  Wesleyan  Deaconess  Institution  was  founded  in 
1890  by  Eev.  T.  B.  Stevenson,  D.  D.,  in  connection  with 
his  orphanage,  which  is  surpassed  in  size  and  importance 

only  by  those  founded 


m 


Bristol   by    George 


Mueller.  Dr.  Steven- 
son is  superintendent 
of  a  Deaconess  Home, 
and  also  has  charge 
of  a  congregation  in 
Ilkley.  He  is  justly 
most  prominent  min- 
considered  one  of  the 
isters  of  the  Wes- 
lej^an  C  h  u  r  c  h,  and 
along  the  line  of  prac- 
tical charity  he  has  ac- 
complished as  much  as 
Rev.  Hugh  Price 
Hughes.  This  Dea- 
coness Institution  has 
two  training  -  schools, 
Newburn  Home  in 
London  (84  Bonner  Road,  N.  E.),  and  Calvert  Home,  in 
Leicester  (20  Highfield  Street).  Those  Sisters  who  have 
been  consecrated  are  stationed  in  all  parts  of  England  in 
the  circuits  of  the  various  districts,  and  are  chiefly  em- 
ployed in  parish  work.  There  are  branch  stations  in 
South  Africa,  New  Zealand,  and  Ceylon.  During  their 
twelve  months  of  probation  the  deaconesses  receive 
thorough  theoretical  instruction,  and  at  the  same  time 


Rev.  Dr.  T.  B.  Stevenson. 


Ix  England  and  Scotland.  199 

practical  training  in  city  mission  work.  As  there  are 
no  hospitals  in  connection  with  the  training-schools^,  the 
Sisters  receive  their  practical  training  in  hospital  work 
in  a  city  hospital.  After  a  year  in  the  training-school 
they  spend  another  year  in  practical  work  or  in  a  hos- 
pital, and  after  two  years  of  probation  they  are  solemnly 
installed  in  office.  The  rules  and  regulations  are  not 
essentially  different  from  those  of  the  institutions  of  the 
Church  of  England.  At  present  the  Institution  has 
fifteen  student  probationers  and  seventy  consecrated 
Sisters,  who  are  employed  in  the  institutions  and  branch 
stations  mentioned  and  in  forty-five  different  circuits 
and  districts. 

The  following  paragraphs  are  taken  from  the  annual 
report  of  the  Wesleyan  Deaconess  Institution: 

"^'What  is  a  Wesley  Deaconess?  One  who  belongs  to 
the  Order  so  called,  governed  by  the  Council,  and  sanc- 
tioned by  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Church.  But  her  work 
is  not  sectarian,  and  she  may,  by  arrangement,  serve 
other  than  Methodist  Churches. 

"For  what  does  the  Order  exist  ?  To  supply  qualified 
and  devoted  women-workers  to  towns,  villages,  missions, 
circuits,  or  Churches,  either  in  the  United  Kingdom  or 
abroad. 

"What  advantage  has  a  Wesley  Deaconess  over  a 
woman-worker  independently  engaged  by  any  Church  or 
person?  The  average  deaconess  has,  as  compared  with 
the  average  worker  independently  found  and  engaged, 
the  following  amongst  other  advantages: 

"1.  She  is  carefully  tested  before  she  begins  her  pro- 
bation, and  during  a  year's  residence  under  skilled  super- 
vision. 

"2.  She  is  trained  by  twelve  months^  residence  in  one 
of  our  Deaconess  Houses. 


200        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

"3.  She  passes  through  a  special  course  of  instruc- 
tion in  medical  nursing. 

"4.  She  receives  special  teaching  in  Biblical  and  theo- 
logical studies. 

"5.  She  is  specially  introduced  to  various  methods  of 
Christian  work. 

"6.  She  is  trained  and  tried  by  actual  experiment  in 
the  kind  of  work  she  will  afterwards  do. 

"7.  She  gives  herself  to  the  work,  not  for  the  sake 
of  employment,  but  from  a  sense  of  divine  vocation,  and 
the  reality  of  this  is  tested  by  her  two  years'  probation. 

"8.  After  her  residence  of  one  year  in  the  Training 
Home,  she  spends  a  year  in  actual  work — that  she  may 
be  more  fully  tested. 

"9.  At  the  end  of  her  two  years'  probation,  she  is 
set  apart  to  her  work  in  a  solemn  consecration  service, 
which  impresses  upon  her  and  others  the  importance  and 
obligation  of  her  work. 

"10.  She  can  be  removed  from  one  appointment  to 
another,  as  the  circumstances  of  the  case  may  require. 
The  authorities  who  employ  her  are  therefore  able  to 
seek  a  change  without  considering  that  she  may  perhaps 
be  left  without  employment;  and  she  can  ask  for  a 
change,  if  she  feels  that  her  sphere  is  uncongenial,  or 
that  her  mission  there  is  accomplished. 

'^11.  She  meets  yearly,  in  Convocation,  her  Sisters 
from  all  parts  of  the  field,  and  is  refreshed  and  stimu- 
lated in  spirit  thereby. 

"13.  She  has  an  influence  and  position  which  arises 
out  of  her  connection  with  an  organized  body  of  dea- 
conesses, sanctioned  by  the  Church. 

"What  is  her  relation  to  the  Church,  or  Circuit,  or 
Mission  employing  her?  So  far  as  her  work  is  concerned, 
she  is  under  the  direction  of  the  local  authority  only. 


In  England  and  Scotland.  201 

"How  is  she  supported  ?  The  Institute  meets  all 
her  needs:  and  receives  from  the  locality  an  agreed 
amount  in  consideration  of  her  services. 

"What  does  she  receive?  A  few  are  able  to  support 
themselves,  wholly  or  partly.  Some  live  in  Deaconess 
Houses,  where  board  and  lodging  are  provided,  and  an 
allowance  is  made  for  other  expenses.  Others  receive 
from  the  Council  an  alloM^ance  to  cover  the  cost  of  board 
and  lodging,  as  well  as  other  necessary  expenses. 

"What  becomes  of  her  when  she  is  old  or  infirm  ?  The 
Superannuation  Fund  provides  a  small  but  adequate  al- 
lowance for  those  who  have  completed  their  term  of 
service. 

"What  is  her  work  ?  Anything  that  the  cause  of 
Christ  and  the  poor  demand.  She  is  nurse,  teacher,  vis- 
itor, even  preacher  when  necessary.  She  is  a  helper  in  all 
sorrow,  and  a  rescuer  from  all  sin.  Her  work  varies  in 
almost  every  locality. 

"'What  is  her  sphere?  John  Wesley's  parish — the 
world.  Wesley  deaconesses  are  already  at  work  in  Eng- 
land, Scotland,  Ireland;  in  South  Africa,  in  Ceylon,  and 
in  New  Zealand.  It  is  hoped  and  believed  that  they  will 
find  work  also  in  India,  in  China,  and  'in  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  world.' " 

The  Deaconess  Cause  in  Scotland. 

During  his  stay  in  England  (1846),  Pastor  Theodore 
riiedner  visited  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  in  order  to  form 
the  acquaintance  of  the  renowned  Scotch  minister,  Dr. 
Chalmers.  At  that  time  his  plans  for  the  founding  of 
a  Deaconess  Institution  did  not  mature,  but  in  1886  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  took  the 
matter  in  hand,  and  in  1887  the  Deaconess  Institution 
in  Edinburo^h  was  established.     The  head  deaconess  had 


202 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


been  trained  in  the  London  Mother  House.  The  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  adopted  rules 
bearing  on  the  admission,  training,  garb,  and  support 
of  the  deaconesses,  and  on  December  9,  1888,  the  first 
deaconess  was  solemnly  installed  in  office.  The  garb, 
training,  and  regulations  are  not  essentially  different 
from  those  of  the  Mother  Houses  .in  England.  It  is 
noteworthy  that  here,  from  the  very  beginning,  the  Dea- 
coness Work  was  em- 
bodied in  the  Church 
organism ;  and  whereas 
the  institutions  on  the 
European  Continent 
were  for  the  greater 
part  founded  by  de- 
vout and  influential 
individuals,  the  found- 
ing of  the  Mother 
Houses  in  Scotland 
proceeded  from  the 
legislative  body  of  the 
Church  of  Scotland. 
It  is  singular  that  in 
the  same  year  (May 
18,  1888)  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States  adopted  similar  measures,  bringing  the  Deaconess 
Work  into  organic  union  with  the  Church. 

The  property  of  the  Deaconess  Institution  in  Edin- 
burgh was  secured  in  1893  at  the  price  of  $11,500.  The 
St.  Ninian's  Mission  House  is  connected  with  the  Sisters' 
Home,  and  contains  a  schoolroom,  a  chapel,  a  kinder- 
garten, and  other  departments  necessary  for  extensive 
mission  work.  Adjoining  this  Mission  House  is  the  Dea- 
coness Hosnital,  in  which  the  Sisters  are  trained  in  nurs- 


Deaconess  Home  in  Edinburgh, 
Scotland. 


Rev.  Archibald  Hamilton  Charteris,  D.  D, 


204        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

ing.  It  was  erected  in  1894,  costing  $18,000,  and  was 
considerably  enlarged  in  1897.  At  present  there  is  room 
for  twenty-eight  beds.  The  annual  expenses  are  $7,500. 
Two  hundred  dollars  will  endow  a  bed  for  one  year, 
and  sixteen  beds  are  provided  for  annually  by  in- 
dividual gifts  to  this  amount.  At  present  the  insti- 
tution has  three  buildings,  and  is  free  from  all  in- 
debtedness. Twenty-six  deaconesses  have  been  conse- 
crated, of  whom  six  are  employed  in  foreign  mission- 
fields.  The  remainder  are  employed  in  the  hospital,  in 
parish  work,  in  private  nursing,  in  the  St.  Ninian's  Mis- 
sion Institution,  and  in  the  orphanage  founded  a  short 
time  ago.  The  greatest  services  in  the  founding  of 
the  institution  was  rendered  by  the  well-known  Scotch 
minister,  Kev.  Archibald  Hamilton  Charteris,  D.  D.  He 
w^as  born  in  1835,  the  son  of  a  schoolmaster.  At  the 
age  of  twenty  he  was  graduated  from  Edinburgh  Uni- 
versity, and  entered  the  pastorate  in  1858.  As  the 
biographer  of  Dr.  James  Robertson,  the  renowned  Pro- 
fessor of  Church  History,  he  became  more  widely  known. 
In  1868  he  accepted  a  call  as  Professor  of  Biblical  Criti- 
cism in  Edinburgh  University,  and  there  wrote  a  number 
of  theological  works  that  have  made  himi  renowned.  As 
founder  and  president  of  the  Christian  Life  and  Work 
Committee  he  has  rendered  the  Church  of  Scotland  val- 
uable service.  This  society  gave  the  impulse  to  the 
founding  of  the  Young  Men's  Guild,  the  Woman's  Guild, 
and  the  Deaconess  Institution.  These  organizations 
have  proven  a  wonderful  inspiration  for  renewed  activity 
in  the  Scotch  Church. 

Dr.  Charteris  gives  the  following  account  of  the  move- 
ment in  the  Church  of  Scotland: 

"Regarding  the  scheme  for  the  organization  of 
woman's  work  as  a  pyramid,  whose  broad  base  is  the 


In  Exglaxd  and  Scotland.  205 

Woman's   Guild,  we   see  it   tapering  up   through   Guild 
leaders  and  associates  to  the  deaconesses,  who  give  their 
whole  time  and  strength  to  the  service  of  Christ  in  his 
Church.     We   have  been  fortunate  in   our  deaconesses. 
Many  of  them  are  dedicating  their  time  and  their  means 
to  the  work  of  their  order;  and  all  of  them  are  working 
with  whole-hearted  devotedness.     They  have  already  out- 
lived objections,  indifference,  and  misconstruction;  and 
some  earnest  friends  are  now  desirous  to  extend  the  order 
and  to  erect  new  institutions  like  the  first  Mother  House, 
which  was  founded  in  Edinburgh.     We  advocated  from 
the  first  similar  institutions  in  Glasgow,  Aberdeen,  and 
some  other  large  towns,  and  even  tried  to  found  one  in 
Glasgow;  but  the  time  had  not  then  come.     I  rejoice  to 
think  that  it  is  now  coming  near  in  several  of  our  cities. 
"The  Deaconess  House  in  Edinburgh  has  accommo- 
dation for  eleven  probationers,  and  we  may  say  it  has. 
been  always  full  since  it  was  first  opened.     It  has  largely 
owed  its  continuous  success  to  the  deaconess  superintend- 
ent. Miss  A.  M.  Maxwell,  D.  C.  S.,  efficiently  aided  as 
she  has  been  by  Miss  Mary  Lamond,  D.  C.  S.     As  the 
work  proceeded  it  was  found  necessary  to  provide  means 
of  training  our  probationers  in  sick-nursing,  and  the  Dea- 
coness Hospital  was  the  natural  result.     Since  the  day  it 
was  projected  that  hospital   has   been   a   great  joy   and 
delight.     Friends  have  come  to  its  support.     Every  on- 
ward step  has  been  made  easy.     The  poor  of  our  mission 
district,  and  sufferers  in  many  other  places,  some  of  them 
in  remote  country  parishes,  have  found  rest,  comfort,  and 
a  cure  in  the  wards.     A^ery  many  have  testified  of  their 
own  accord  to  spiritual  benefit  received  through  the  af- 
fectionate ministrations  of  the   Christian  nurses.     Miss 
Ella  Pirrie,  D.  C.  S.,  has  been  deaconess  superintendent 
from  the  first.     Under  her  superintendence  Miss  Paton, 


20 C        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

D.  C.  S.,  one  of  our  own  trained  nurses,  began  some  years 
ago  the  long-contemplated  training  in  district  nursing, 
and  with  it  our  system  is  in  theory  pretty  complete. 

^^A  large  addition  to  the  hospital  was  lately  opened. 
Our  nurses  had  not  suitable  rooms  for  themselves  till 
then.  It  is  superfluous  to  add  that  the  new  building,  like 
the  old,  was  opened  without  debt.  During  1898  the  in- 
crease of  expenditure  in  the  hospital,  made  necessary  by 
the  extension  of  the  building,  gave  some  anxiety  to  the 
Board  of  Management;  but  as  soon  as  our  increased  needs 
were  explained  to  the  Church  and  the  public,  the  contri- 
butions were  increased,  and  the  year  ended,  like  its  prede- 
cessors, with  a  surplus  in  the  treasurer's  hands.  Our  ex- 
perience in  the  end  of  1900  was  the  same.  An  increasing 
pressure  has  come  upon  us  to  enlarge  the  hospital,  so  as 
to  have  forty  beds,  and  thus  be  able  to  give  a  technically 
qualifying  certificate  to  our  probationers  when  their 
course  with  us  is  finished.  The  Royal  British  dissociation 
for  Nurses,  founded  since  our  hospital  was  built,  has 
made  forty  beds  indispensable  for  any  hospital  wishing  to 
give  such  a  certificate.  It  is  hard  upon  our  thoroughly 
trained  probationers  that  they  can  not  leave  us  with  a 
diploma;  and  we  find  that  many  who  would  fain  come  to 
us  and  stay  with  us  are  compelled  to  go  elsewhere  for 
their  training.  We  are  thus  unable  to  train  our  own  upper 
or  staif  nurses;  for  only  certified  nurses  can  l)e  put  in 
charge  of  the  wards  over  the  probationers.  It  is  easy 
to  see  how  this  affects  all  our  work,  and  causes  much 
trouble. 

"We  hoped  that  we  should  never  need  to  enlarge  the 
Deaconess  Hospital.  The  Eoyal  Association,  however, 
has  changed  the  whole  case ;  and  the  Hospital  Board  have 
no  choice  but  to  enlarge,  unless  they  accept  a  permanently 
subordinate  and  demeaning  position  for  our  beloved  hos- 


In  England  and  Scotland.  207 

pital.  Quite  recently  and  opportunely  some  property  ad- 
joining the  St.  Ninian's  Mission  House  has  been  offered 
for  sale,  and  at  the  time  we  write  the  Board  are  anxiously 
considering  whether  it  can  be  acquired  at  a  reasonable 
price,  and  serve  as  a  site  for  the  unavoidable  enlargement. 
We  believe  that  when  we  explain  our  whole  case  to  our 
kind  friends  who  have  so  generously  supported  us  hith- 
erto, they  will  enable  us  to  meet  this  new  and  unexpected 
necessity  also.''    This  necessity  has  since  been  met. 

It  is  proposed  to  found  Deaconess  Institutions  in  all 
the  larger  cities  of  Scotland,  and  thereby  to  spread  a  net- 
work of  Christian  charity  over  the  entire  country. 


CHAPTEE  VII. 

DEACONESS  INSTITUTIONS  IN  OTHER 
EUROPEAN  COUNTRIES. 

As  EVEKY  nation  has  its  own  character  and  in  every 
country  the  Church  assumes  a  different  form,  so  also  does 
the  Deaconess  Cause  bear  a  distinctive  cast  in  different 
countries.  The  Mother  House  at  Kaiserswerth  was  gen- 
erally taken  as  a  pattern,  and  the  rules  and  regulations 
adopted  by  Fliedner  were  ever3^where  accepted  in  outline, 
as  is  plainly  seen  in  the  history  of  the  different  institu- 
tions; but  we  nevertheless  meet  with  the  peculiarities  of 
the  different  Churches  and  peoples  even  in  the  Deaconess 
Cause.  Looked  at  from  this  standpoint  this  chapter  offers 
interesting  material  for  study.  The  work  in  France  is 
upon  sterile  soil  as  compared  to  Protestant  countries. 
The  Protestants  of  France  are  but  few  in  number,  and 
at  the  beginning  of  the  work  some  influential  Protestants 
exerted  an  influence  adversely  to  the  good  cause. 

The  Deaconess  Institutions  of  Fkance. 

The  oldest  Deaconess  Institution  of  Paris  owes  its 
origin  to  Pastor  Antoine  Yermeil,  of  the  Reformed 
Church,  who,  similarly  to  Fliedner  in  Kaiserswerth  and 
Haerter  in  Strassburg,  was  an  instrument  in  the  hand  of 
God  for  inaugurating  the  Deaconess  Movement  in  the 
Protestant  Church  of  France.  Antoine  Vermeil,  a  de- 
scendant of  a  Huguenot  family,  was  born  March  19,  1799, 
in  Nimes.  He  first  chose  the  study  of  medicine,  but 
finally  turned  his  attention  to  theology,  and  was  called  to 
the  pastorate  of  the  French  congregation  in  Hamburg 

208 


In  Other  European  Countries.  209 

in  the  year  1823.     A  year  later  he  accepted  a  call  to  the 
Reformed  Church  at  Bordeaux,  where  he  labored  with 
good  results  for  sixteen  years.    He  showed  great  skill  and 
energy  in  the  establishment  of  several  benevolent  insti- 
tutions.    He  also  had  the  faculty  of  training  others  for 
the  work,  and  of  gaining  the  interest  of  many  people  for 
his  plans.    In  the  year  1840  he  accepted  a  call  to  Paris, 
where  he  was  destined  to 
succeed   in   carrying   out 
a  long-felt  desire  of  re- 
newing the  office  of  the 
diaconate     according    to 
primitive     Church     pat- 
tern.      Before     he     had 
passed  a  year  in  Paris  he 
decided   to   execute   this 
purpose.     His  first  letter 
written  with  this  object 
in  view  crossed  in  trans- 
mission    another     letter 
which    was    virtually    a 
reply  to  it;  for  a  Chris- 
tian    friend.     Mademoi- 
selle   Malvesin    in    Bor-         pastor  antoine  vermeil. 
deaux,  to  whom  he  had  written,  on  the  same  day  com- 
municated her  great  desire  to  find  an  opportunity  of  de- 
voting herself  entirely  to  the  service  of  the  Savior,  who 
had  given  himself  for  her.     Shortly  before  this  Elizabeth 
Fry  had  formed  a  society  whose  members  made  it  their 
duty  to  visit  the  female  prisoners  in  the  St.  Lazare  prison. 
The  president  of  this  society  soon  found  that  a  place  of 
refuge  was  necessary  for  discharged  prisoners.    She  asked 
Pastor  Vermeil  for  advice,  and  talked  with  him  about 
establishing  such  an  asylum,  but  thought  that  the  chief 
14 


210        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

difficulty  would  be  to  find  a  suitable  person  to  take  charge 
of  it.  She  was  deeply  affected  when  Pastor  Vermeil 
showed  her  the  letter  from  his  friend,  and  exclaimed, 
^^Now  that  a  deaconess  is  found,  we  must  begin.^^  They 
bought  a  house  in  the  suburb  St.  Antoine,  and  furnished 
it  with  the  assistance  of  friends.  This  institution  was 
opened  to  the  public  on  November  6,  1841.  At  first 
Mademoiselle  Malvesin  was  alone.  In  a  few  weeks,  how- 
ever, several  Sisters  joined  the  movement.  The  first  work 
attempted  was  the  rescue  of  fallen  women,  a  part  of  the 
building  being  set  apart  as  a  place  of  refuge  for  them. 
A  flourishing  Deaconess  Institution  sprang  from  this 
Magdalen  Asylum.  Soon  influential  friends  were  won  for 
this  work,  and  through  their  advice  and  help  a  Children's 
Hospital,  and  then  a  Training  and  Eeform  School  for 
Girls,  and  ultimately  a  Woman's  Hospital,  were  opened. 
After  four  years  the  building  was  found  to  be  too  small, 
and  Mr.  Vermeil  succeeded,  in  a  truly  marvelous  manner, 
in  purchasing  a  suitable  property  at  No.  95  Reuilly  Street, 
which  contained  sufficient  space  for  the  erection  of  a 
grand  Central  Deaconess  Institution  for  the  Evangelical 
Church  of  France.  The  place,  containing  several  acres, 
was  covered  with  a  number  of  buildings,  and  the  whole 
was  inclosed  by  a  wall.  It  was  offered  for  sale  at  110,000 
francs.  The  Eoman  Catholics  had  their  eye  on  the  place, 
and  it  seems  like  a  miracle  that  Pastor  Vermeil  should 
have  succeeded.  In  three  days  he  had  collected  70,000 
francs,  with  v/hich  he  made  the  first  payment,  and,  in  the 
providence  of  God,  the  rest  was  easily  managed.  Up  to 
the  present  the  principal  branches  of  work  have  been 
nursing,  the  education  of  children,  and  the  rescue  of  the 
fallen.  The  favor  of  God  and  man  rested  on  this  work, 
and  the  necessary  funds  came  in  such  abundance  that 
the  work  could  be  extended  with  each  year.    During  the 


In  'Other  Eueopeax  Countries.  211 

revolutionary  period  of  1848  the  institution  struggled 
against  hard  times.  On  account  of  continued  illness, 
Pastor  Vermeil  found  himself  compelled,  at  the  close  of 
the  fifties,  to  withdraw  from  the  control  of  the  institu- 
tion, he  placed  it  in  the  hands  of  Pastor  Louis  Valette. 
He  fell  asleep  in  Jesus  October  8,  1864.  With  his  death 
the  Deaconess  Cause  lost  a  warm  friend,  and  a  successful 
and  faithful  witness  for 
Jesus  Christ  departed  from 
this  life. 

Pastor  Louis  Valette  was 
born  in  the  village  of  Chene- 
Thonex,  on  the  border  of 
Switzerland,  May  24,  1800. 
As  early  as  his  eighth  year 
he  visited  the  school  at  Ge- 
neva, and  in  his  eighteenth 
year  he  accepted  a  situation 
as  tutor,  which  enabled  him 
to  assist  his  widowed 
mother.  In  1827  he  was 
called  as  pastor  to  the 
French    congregation    at  pastok  Louis  valette. 

Naples,  where  he  labored  with  marked  success  for  four- 
teen years.  He  returned  to  France  on  account  of  his 
health,  and  undertook  the  pastorate  of  the  Church  of  the 
Augsburgian  Confession  of  Faith  in  Paris.  Here  he 
formed  an  intimate  friendship  with  Vermeil.  When  Ver- 
meil was  obliged  to  take  a  long  vacation  on  account  of 
his  health,  Valette  took  charge  of  the  institution,  and, 
upon  the  retirement  of  the  former,  devoted  his  whole 
time  and  energies  to  the  Deaconess  Work.  Under  his 
very  capable  leadership  the  institution  received  a  mighty 
impulse,  and  he  directed  his  attention  especially  to  the 


212        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement 

training  of  deaconesses  for  parish  work.  On  January  1, 
1868,  Mademoiselle  Malvesin,  the  superintendent,  re- 
signed, after  twenty-six  years  of  activity,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  devoting  the  rest  of  her  strength  to  the  founding 
and  direction  of  a  Girls'  Asylum.  In  this  she  was  also 
very  successful,  but  returned  to  the  Mother  House  two 
years  before  she  was  called,  in  the  eighty-third  year  of  her 

life,  to  the  rest  of  the  saints 
above.  Her  mantle  fell  on 
Sister  Waller,  who  had  come 
over  from  Holland  in  1866, 
and  who  united  in  herself  all 
the  qualities  of  a  successful 
superintendent. 


The  years  of  the  Franco- 
Prussian  War  (1870-71) 
were  years  of  especial  trial 
and  tribulation  for  the  Dea- 
c  o  n  e  s  s  Cause  in  France. 
The  Deaconess  Institution 
is  situated  in  the  Faubourg 
St.  Antoine,  a  constantly 
MADEMOISELI.E  MAI.VESIN.  gmolderiug  hearth  of  revolu- 
tion. During  the  siege  the  Sisters  remained  faithfully  at 
their  post.  In  the  school,  which  lies  opposite  the  Mother 
House,  they  established  a  hospital,  where  the  sick  and 
wounded,  without  distinction  of  religious  faith,  were  skill- 
fully nursed  by  the  deaconesses.  Pastor  Monod  provided 
an  ambulance  with  all  the  necessary  equipment,  which, 
with  two  deaconesses,  followed  the  army,  and  did  great 
service  on  the  battlefields.  After  peace  was  restored, 
funds  came  in  more  freely,  and  it  was  possible  to  establish 
a  hospital  for  women,  which  was  opened  to  the  public 
in  September,  1873.     But  Pastor  Valette  was  not  per- 


In  Other  European  Countries.  213 

mitted  to  attend  the  dedication.  His  health  had  suffered 
through  the  hardships  of  the  campaign  and  the  excite- 
ment of  the  siege,  and  he  withdrew  from  the  superin- 
tendency  of  the  institution  in  1872.  After  a  short  illness 
he  entered  into  the  rest  of  the  people  of  God  on  the 
twentieth  day  of  October  of  the  same  year.  Shortly  be- 
fore his  death  he  uttered  the  words,  ^'Everything  with 
Jesus,  everything  in  him,  and  everything  for  him.'' 
Under  the  inspiration  of  this  motto  this  faithful  servant 
of  God  had  devoted  his  life  fully  and  completely  to  the 
service  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  The  directorship  of  the 
institution  was  now  intrusted  to  the  hands  of  four  pastors, 
of  whom  two  were  members  of  the  Reformed  and  two  of 
the  Lutheran  Church.  Pastor  Dhombres  replaced  Valette 
as  president,  and  in  1876  Pastor  W.  Monod  was  elected 
as  his  assistant.  This  devout  and  gifted  divine  remained 
in  the  service  of  the  institution  until  1901.  He  withdrew 
voluntarily  in  order  that  younger  hands  might  take  up 
the  responsible  office.  When,  in  the  year  1891,  the  insti- 
tution celebrated  its  fiftieth  anniversary,  it  had  the  satis- 
faction of  looking  back  over  a  record  of  great  usefulness. 
Its  blessed  influence  was  not  limited  to  the  great  city  of 
Paris,  but  extended  over  all  France.  The  institution  now 
has  eighty-five  deaconesses,  and  numerous  branch  houses 
and  spheres  of  labor  in  all  parts  of  France.  The  oldest 
deaconess,  Victoria  Duval,  who  superintends  the  House 
for  Convalescents  in  Neuilly,  celebrated  the  fiftieth  anni- 
versary of  her  own  official  connection  with  the  work  in 
1899.  The  following  branch  institutions  and  stations  are 
connected  with  the  Mother  House:  1.  Branch  institu- 
tions: Woman's  Hospital,  Christian  Kindergarten,  Re- 
formatory for  Older  Girls,  Reformatory  for  Young  Girls, 
and  a  Training-school  for  the  Sisters.  2.  Fields  of  Labor: 
(a)  In  Paris — Parish  nursing  (St.  Marie  and  Belleville), 


214        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Keformed  School,  Orphan  Asylum,  House  for  Con- 
valescents, Asylum  (Frangois  Delessert),  Men's  Hospital 
(Neuilly-sur-Seine).  (b)  Outside  of  Paris — Uzes:  Prot- 
estant Hospital.  Mazures:  School  for  Young  Girls.  Or- 
leans: Orphan  Asylum  for  Girls.  Orthes:  Evangelical 
Asylum.  Nanterre:  Asylum  for  Old  and  Feeble  Women. 
Marseilles :  Protestant  Hospital.  Audincourt :  Hospital. 
Montauban :  Orphan  Asylum.  La  Kochelle :  Protestant 
Hospital.  Livron:  Industrial  School.  Clermont:  Prot- 
estant Quarter  of  the  Central  Home.  Cannes:  Evangel- 
ical Asylum.  Montanban :  Hospital  and  Asylum  for  Old 
Women.  Bordeaux:  Asylum  for  Protestant  Old  Men. 
Versailles :  House  for  Convalescent  Young  Boys.  Lyons : 
Asylum  for  Old  Women  and  Convalescents.  Valence: 
Parish  nursing. 

In  the  year  1874  a  second  Deaconess  House  was 
founded  in  Paris  by  the  Lutheran  pastor,  Felix  Kuehne. 
In  this  he  was  assisted  by  a  consecrated  deaconess,  Miss 
d'Haussonville.  A  number  of  women  took  part  with  him 
in  the  government  and  responsibilities  of  the  work.  Fre- 
qnent  changes  of  the  directress,  as  well  as  removals  from 
rented  dwelling-houses,  have  been  a  hindering  cause  to 
this  enterprise.  Besides  parish  Deaconess  Work  and  nurs- 
ing, the  Sisters  preside  over  various  institutions.  The 
number  of  Sisters,  however,  is  comparatively  small. 

The  Deaconess  Institutions  of  Switzerland. 

1.  The  Deaconess  Home  of  St.  Loup  was  founded  in 
the  year  1842  by  Pastor  Louis  Germond.  It  was  orig- 
inally opened  in  Echallens,  but  transferred  to  St.  Loup 
in  1852.  In  consequence  of  the  ecclesiastical  disorders 
which  so  deeply  affected  the  Church  life  of  Switzerland  in 
the  forties,  the  Deaconess  Institution  suffered  much  an- 


In  Other  European  Countries. 


215 


tagonism.  The  hatred  of  opponents  turned  against  it  as 
"si  fortress  of  Methodism"  (I)  and  twice  compelled  it  to 
close  its  doors.  In  1848,  Germond  left  his  field  of  labor, 
in  which  he  had  been  so  greatly  blessed,  with  a  sad  heart; 
but  when,  in  the  year  1852,  he  reopened  the  Home  in  St. 
Loup,  near  the  village  of  La  Sarraz,  he  was  again  able  to 
look  with  glad  hopefulness  into  the  future.  He  departed 
this  life  September  11,  18G6,  and  his  son.  Pastor  Henry 
Germond,  who  had  assisted  his  father  in  the   superin- 


-mm 


Deaconess  Home  in  St.  Loup,  Switzerland. 


tendency  since  1861,  now  continued  his  father's  work 
until  he  himself,  in  the  year  1881,  fell  asleep  in  Jesus. 
The  present  rector,  Pastor  0.  Kau-Yaucher,  was  the  im- 
mediate successor,  and  under  his  leadership  the  institu- 
tion has  had  a  prosperous  growth,  and  its  benign  influence 
has  spread  over  the  whole  of  French-speaking  Switzer- 
land. The  institution  to-day  numbers  one  hundred  and 
eighty  deaconesses,  who  are  employed  in  the  Mother 
House  as  well  as  in  the  branch  establishments  of  St.  Loup 
and  in  fifty-four  outlying  fields  of  labor.    In  the  hospital 


216        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

of  Lausanne  alone  thirty-four  deaconesses  are  employed. 
The  institution  is  known  and  loved  throughout  Switzer- 
land, and  every  year  about  two  thousand  people  come 
together  at  St.  Loup  to  take  part  in  the  glorious  gospel 
services,  which  are  held  in  the  open  air.  When  a  Sister 
is  received,  she  is  not  asked  what  Church  she  belongs  to, 
but  whether  she  has  experienced  a  change  of  heart,  and 
whether  she  lives  in  personal  fellowship  with  the  Savior. 
The  picture  on  the  preceding  page  shows  the  old  house 
at  the  left,  which  is  still  used  as  the  Mother  House.  Next 
to  it  is  the  Home  of  the  Probationers,  and  between  them 
is  the  parsonage,  in  which  the  rector  lives.  To  the  right 
is  the  Infirmary  for  Women  and  Children  wath  chronic 
diseases.  In  front,  but  not  visible  on  the  picture,  is  the 
Eest  Home  for  the  Deaconesses,  and  in  the  background  is 
an  Institute  for  Scrofulous  Children.  Still  farther  back 
the  roof  of  the  Agricultural  Building  can  be  distin- 
guished. Lately  stations  have  been  founded  in  Cannes, 
Turin,  and  Pinchat  near  Geneva.  The  annual  disburse- 
ments amount  to  about  160,000  francs. 

2.  The  Deaconess  Institution  in  Bern.  The  first  be- 
ginnings of  the  founding  of  this  institution  reach  back 
to  the  year  1836.  A  Woman's  Society  was  organized  in 
this  year,  w^hose  members  took  upon  themselves  the  duty 
of  visiting  the  sick  and  providing  for  the  necessary  nurs- 
ing. The  members  of  the  society  met  every  week  for 
consultation  and  the  exchange  of  experiences.  But  it  was 
soon  apparent  that  a  hospital  was  needed,  as  many  in- 
conveniences and  abuses  w^ere  met  with  when  the  sick 
were  nursed  in  their  own  homes.  But  now  discord  arose. 
Miss  Sophia  Wurstemberger,  of  Wittihofen,  the  most 
prominent  member  of  the  committee  of  ladies,  moved 
that  the  control  of  the  whole  institution  be  given  to  one 
lady,  and  that  she  be  held  responsible  for  all  its  branches. 


In  Other  European  Countries.  217 

The  other  members  of  the  society  were  in  favor  of  divid- 
ing the  household  into  its  several  branches  and  placing 
a  lady  separately  over  each,  whose  duty  it  should  be  to 
look  after  that  part  of  the  institution,  without  caring  for 
the  rest.    The  first  plan  was  called  monarchic,  the  second 
constitutional.     As  it  was  impossible  to  reach  an  agree- 
ment. Miss  Sophia  Wurstemberger  withdrew,  and  under- 
took a  long  journey  (1842).     She   visited  Kaiserswerth 
and  Pastor  Fliedner,  who,  admiring  her  for  her  culture 
and  pleased  with  her  deep  piety,  sought  to  win  her  for 
Kaiserswerth.    But  she  went  on  to  England,  and  remained 
for  some  time  in  the  house  of  her  friend,  Elizabeth  Fry. 
Eeturning  at  last  to  Switzerland,  she  firmly  resolved  to 
devote  the  rest  of  her  life  to  the  service  of  the  poor  and 
sick.    In  the  meantime,  by  resorting  to  the  casting  of  the 
lot,   her   plan   of   government   triumphed,    and   she   was 
elected  to  the  directorship  of  the  institution.     But  her 
parents  refused  their  consent.    It  was  something  unheard 
of  that  a  daughter  of  the  nobility  should  leave  her  family, 
move  into  an  inferior  rented  dwelling,  and,  in  company 
with  those  of  obscure  social  rank,  sacrifice  her  life  for  the 
poor  and  the  sick.     After  a  long  struggle,  she  obtained 
the  consent  of  her  parents,  but  with  the  positive  declara- 
tion that  she  need  expect  no  assistance  from  them.    With 
very  little  money  she  undertook  the  work  in  a  wretched 
dwelling  in  the  Aarberger  Lane.     'The  great  day  will 
disclose  what  self-denial  she  imposed  on  herself,  what  dis- 
tress she  endured,  and  what  answers  to  prayer  she  experi- 
enced."   After  two  years  the  dwelling  was  too  small,  and 
she  rented  another  on  the  Brunngasse,  and  in  the  year 
1849  they  were  able  to  remove  the  institution  into  the 
Nydecklaube,  where  the  Evangelical  Society  occupied  the 
upper  floors,  partly  for  the   book-trade   and  partly  for 
preaching  the  Word  of  God.     For  eighteen  years  the  in- 


218        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

stitution  remained  in  rented  rooms;  but  in  1862  a  house 
with  garden  was  bought  on  the  Altenberghoehe,  and  in 
1864  a  house  in  the  city;  in  1865,  the  adjacent  2Dlace  on 
the  Hoehe  called  Blumenberg;  in  1878,  the  adjoining 
building  in  the  city;  and  in  1883,  the  country-seat  Wyler, 
with  one  hundred  acres  of  land  for  agricultural  purposes, 
were  purchased.  In  the  year  1876  the  institution  was 
incorporated,  and  in  1878  Sister  Sophia,  who  in  the  mean- 
time had  become  the  wife  of  the  well-known  "Father  of 
the  Deaconess  Work,"  John  F.  Daendliker,  was  called 
to  her  reward  in  the  full  triumph  of  faith.  The  Deaconess 
Home  received  a  new  matron  on  the  17th  of  February, 
1880,  in  the  person  of  Miss  Jennie  Schnell  (now  the  widow 
Daendliker),  of  Basle.  Eev.  J.  F.  Daendliker  died  on  De- 
cember 7,  1900.  He  was  born  in  1821,  in  Hombrechtikon, 
on  the  Lake  of  Zurich;  in  the  fifties  he  took  charge  of 
the  rapidly  growing  Deaconess  Institution  and  Hospital 
in  Bern.  Daendliker's  personal  appearance  was  impos- 
ing; he  was  a  thoroughly  original,  consecrated  character, 
a  philanthropist,  and  a  practical  Christian,  whose  death 
was  deplored  in  remote  circles.  The  institution  to-day 
has  three  hundred  and  fifty  deaconesses  in  seventy-seven 
different  fields  of  labor,  and  deaconesses  are  employed  in 
more  than  forty  hospitals.  The  annual  income  is  about 
200,000  francs. 

3.  The  Deaconess  Institution  in  Neumuenster  near 
Zurich.  The  origin  of  this  institution  takes  us  back  to 
the  fifties.  It  received  its  first  impulse  from  a  silver 
penny  with  the  image  of  Zwingle,  which  was  put  in  the 
collection-bag  of  the  church  at  Neumuenster,  along  with 
a  little  poem  in  which  the  hope  was  expressed  that,  in  the 
course  of  time,  a  Deaconess  Home  might  result  from  this 
gift.  Antistes  Fuessle  took  up  the  thought,  which  had 
been  on  his  heart  for  a  long  time,  and  persuaded  the 


In  Other  European  Countries. 


219 


Evangelical  Society  to  carry  it  out.  On  March  5,  1857, 
Anna  Sieber,  of  Neiimuenster,  daughter  of  a  family  con- 
nected with  Fuessle,  went  to  Riehen  to  study  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Deaconess  Institutions  there.  In  June  of 
the  same  year  the  Evangelical  Society  issued  an  appeal 
for  subscriptions  for  the  founding  of  an  institution,  which 
was  so  well  received  that  within  a  year  54,000  francs  were 


,  3t<,    .  t  -t,,**^^  v"  > 


Deaconess  Institution  in  Neumuenster,  Switzerland. 

contributed,  and  in  November,  1858,  the  newly-erected 
Deaconess  Institution  was  ready  for  dedication.  Miss 
Anna  Sieber  was  installed  as  Sister  Superior,  and  became 
widely  known  as  Sister  Nanny.  The  first  year  was  a  year 
of  joy;  but  in  the  following  year  death  first  took  away 
the  first  superintendent,  j\Ir.  Antistes  Fuessle;  then  the 
first  treasurer,  Mr.  Pestalozzi-Hoffmeister;  and  lastly,  in 
the  autumn  of  the  same  year,  Sister  Nanny.  In  the  year 
1862  Pastor  Flury  entered  as  spiritual  adviser.  On  the 
eve  of  the   Christmas  celebration,  in   the  year   1868,  a 


220        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

whole  eoimtry-seat  in  Hottingen,  with  commodious  dwell- 
ings and  a  beautiful  park,  was  presented  to  the  Director- 
ship, for  old  people  of  both  sexes,  for  convalescents,  and 
for  the  recuperation  of  deaconesses,  besides  20,000  francs 
in  cash  for  the  regular  work  of  the  institution.  The  dedi- 
cation and  occupation  of  the  Home  for  Old  People  oc- 
curred June  6,  1869.  At  its  twenty-tifth  anniversary  the 
institution  could  already  boast  a  magnificent  group  of 
affiliated  institutions  and  stations.  Pastor  Flury  retired, 
and  Pastor  C.  Brenner  was  called  to  take  his  place  as 
rector.  He  still  fills  this  position  with  great  wisdom;  but 
in  the  last  five  years  he  has  had  the  assistance  of  another 
clergyman  in  the  person  of  Mr.  Ebinger.  The  institution 
has  two  hundred  and  thirty-eight  deaconesses,  of  whom 
one  hundred  and  seventy-eight  are,  and  sixty  are  not,  con- 
secrated. The  institution  has  four  branches  and  seventy- 
four  fields  of  labor,  as  follows:  26  hospitals,  with  144 
deaconesses;  8  infirmaries  and  charitable  institutions, 
with  18  deaconesses;  35  parish  Nursing  Stations,  with  40 
deaconesses ;  1  Children's  Rescue  Home,  with  7  deacon- 
esses; 4  lodging-houses  for  servant-girls.  The  income  for 
the  last  year  was  242,000  francs. 

4.  The  Deaconess  Institution  at  Eiehen,  near  Basle,  was 
founded  in  the  year  1852,  at  the  suggestion  of  the 
well-known  Papa  Spittler.  The  president  of  the  City 
Council,  Mr.  Bischoff-Respinger,  stood  at  the  head  of  this 
institution  for  twenty  years,  while  for  twenty-seven  years 
the  head  deaconess,  Trinetta,  was  the  soul  of  the  Home. 
The  assistant  clergyman  and  fellow-worker.  Pastor  S. 
Barth,  published  a  sketch  of  her  life,  under  the  title 
"^ister  Trinetta."  In  1876,  when  the  number  of  deacon- 
esses had  already  reached  one  hundred  and  twenty,  Theo- 
dore Fliedner,  a  son  of  the  father  of  Kaiserswerth,  who 
had  been  a  German  pastor  in  London,  was  called  as  rector 


Ij^  Other  European  Countries.  221 

to  Eiehen.  But  after  three  years  he  withdrew,  and  ac- 
cepted (1879)  the  management  of  the  Paul-Gerhardt-Stift 
in  Berlin.  But  the  house  is  beholden  to  him  for  many 
improvements  in  its  organization.  Sister  Trinetta  died  in 
the  same  year.  So  the  year  1880  brought  not  only  a  new 
deaconess  superintendent,  but  also  a  new  rector.  The 
latter  was  found  in  the  person  of  Pastor  Kaegi,  who  has 
proven  himself  to  be  extremely  well  adapted  for  this 
important  post.  The  whole  number  of  deaconesses  is 
three  hundred  and  thirty-nine.  Of  these  the  great  ma- 
jority are  employed  in  eighty-four  stations  and  thirty-five 
different  hospitals. 

The  Deaconess  Homes  of  Holland. 

There  are  not  only  a  large  number  of  Mother  Houses 
in  Holland,  but  in  no  other  country  has  the  work  so  re- 
markable a  previous  history.  In  Holland  and  England 
Pastor  Fliedner  received  his  first  inspiration,  of  which 
he  himself  relates  the  following :  "In  June,  1823,  I  began 
my  collecting  tour  of  fourteen  months  through  Holland 
and  England.  The  Lord  greatly  prospered  this  journey 
in  a  temporal  way,  so  that  I  was  enabled  to  collect  quite 
a  large  capital.  But  as  he,  in  his  overflowing  love,  gladly 
blesses  his  servants  in  more  than  one  way,  he  bestowed  on 
me  a  much  greater  spiritual  blessing  on  this  journey.  In 
both  of  these  countries  I  became  acquainted  with  a  num- 
ber of  benevolent  institutions  for  both  the  body  and  the 
soul;  schools,  and  educational  institutions,  poorhouses, 
orphanages  and  hospitals,  prisons  and  societies  for  the 
improvement  of  prisoners,  Bible  societies,  Missionary  so- 
cieties, etc.,  and  I  noticed  at  the  same  time  that  all  these 
institutions  and  societies  were  created  and  sustained  by 
a  living  faith  in  Christ.  The  perception  of  the  rich  re- 
wards   of   this    faith,    and    its    impulse    of   love,    greatly 


222         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

strengthened  my  own  very  weak  faith.  ...  I  returned 
home  in  August,  1824,  filled  with  admiration  and  thank- 
fulness that  I  had  been  permitted  to  see  these  great  mir- 
acles of  evangelical  faith,  but  also  with  deep  shame  that 
we  men  of  Germany  had  permitted  the  women  so  far  to 
outstrip  us  in  Christian  charity,  and  especially  that  we 
had  cared  so  little  for  the  prisoners."  When  Pastor 
Fliedner  visited  Holland  for  the  second  time  in  1827,  he 
became  still  better  acquainted  with  the  Deaconess  Work, 
as  it  was  then  conducted,  and  writes  as  follows:  "In  the 
churches  (of  the  Dutch  Mennonites)  there  are  deacon- 
esses who  are  elected  and  controlled  by  the  Official  Board 
of  the  Church,  and  whose  duty  it  is  to  look  after  the  poor 
of  their  own  sex.  They  visit  the  huts  of  the  poor,  dis- 
tribute what  clothing  they  have  received,  see  that  the 
girls  find  employment  as  servants,  etc.  Neither  they  nor 
the  deacons  are  paid;  they  belong  to  the  most  respectable 
families  of  the  Church,  and  they  undertake  this  work, 
w^hich  requires  considerable  sacrifice  of  time,  etc.,  with 
the  greatest  readiness.  Other  Evangelical  Confessions 
ought  of  right  to  imitate  this  praiseworthy  and  Christian 
practice." 

From  another  source  we  learn  that  parish  deaconesses 
were  at  work  in  Holland  as  early  as  the  Reformation,  and 
therefore  it  is  pleasant  to  know  that  in  Holland  the 
Churches  of  to-day  have  not  fallen  behind  their  prede- 
cessors, and  that  so  many  large  and  flourishing  institu- 
tions are  to  be  found,  several  of  which  are  little  inferior 
to  the  Mother  Houses  in  Germany.  Foremost  among 
them  is  the  Deaconess  rnstitution  of  Utrecht. 

The  Deaconess  Mother  House  of  Utrecht.  This  insti- 
tution was  founded  in  1844  by  several  women.  The  widow 
of  Zuylen  Van  Nyevelt,  Lady  Van  Tuyll  Yan  Scroosker- 
ken,  Lady  Van  Eeede  Van  Oudshoorn,  and  Lady  Van 


Ix  Other  European  Countries. 


223 


Deaconess  Home  in  Utrecht. 


Boetzelaer,  of  Utrecht,  organized  a  Deaconess  Society  and 
issued  an  appeal  to  Christian  women  for  help.  They  im- 
mediately sent  two  deaconesses  to  Ivaiserswerth  for  train- 
ing. When  these  returned,  in  Xovemher,  1844,  a  little 
house  was  ready  to  be  opened  as  a  hospital.  The  number 
of  Sisters  grew  rapidly;  but  in  the  year  1847,  during  an 
epidemic  of  ty- 
phoid, three  dea- 
conesses, as  well  as 
the  physician  of  the 
hospital,  died,  and 
a  number  of  dea- 
conesses recovered 
very  slowly.  The 
head  deaconess, 
Mej.  A.  H.  Swel- 
lengrebel,  deserves 
great  credit  for  long  years  of  faithful  service  in  the 
institution. 

In  the  year  1849  the  institution  was  removed  from 
Breed  Strauss  to  Oude  Gracht.  and  Wij  Strauss.  This 
piece  of  property  was  looked  upon  from  the  start  as  a 
desirable  location,  but  it  could  not  be  purchased  until 
after  the  death  of  the  owner.  After  a  few  years,  how- 
ever, the  house  was  too  small,  and,  as  the  means  for  en- 
largement were  lacking,  the  deaconesses  undertook  out 
of  their  own  means  to  build  an  extension,  in  which  they 
also  provided  for  a  roomy  chapel.  The  dedication  took 
place  on  the  27th  of  Jul}^,  1856.  Another  addition  was 
made  when  two  adjacent  houses  were  bought,  which  were 
to  be  used  as  an  isolating  barracks,  and  were  called  "Little 
Bethesda.''  In  the  year  1860  Mej.  H.  F.  De  Meij  Van 
Alkemade  built  a  Children's  Hospital  with  her  own  means, 
and  presided  over  it  with  great  success,  until,  in  1873 


224        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

death  called  her  from  the  scene  of  her  labors.     In  1875 
a  Eest  Home  for  the  Deaconesses  and  an  Old   Ladies' 


Evangelical  Deaconess  Home  in  The  Hac^ue. 


Home  were  built  on  the  grounds  of  the  institution.  The 
Bethany  Hospital  was  considerably  enlarged  in  1889,  a 
clinic,  a  ward  for  men,  and  a  number  of  rooms  for  the 


Ix  Other  European  Countries. 


225 


deaconesses  being  provided  in  the  extension,  and  now  the 
hospital  is  one  of  the  best  equipped  sanitariums  in  the 
Netherlands.  The  institution  has  twenty-seven  conse- 
crated deaconesses,  forty-three  probationers,  and  twelve 
on  preliminary  probation.  Countess  Anna  Von  Bylandt 
Eheydt  is  head  deaconess. 

The  Deaconess  Home  in  The  Hague.     The   origin   of 
this  institution  is  to  be  traced  to  the  well-known  Dr. 


The  Deaconess  Home  in  The  Hague. 

Basting,  who,  in  the  year  186J:,  published  a  pamphlet 
under  the  caption,  "A  Voice  of  Warning  for  my  Father- 
land.'^ He  showed  how  important  it  was  that  competent 
nurses  should  be  trained  in  times  of  peace,  in  order  that 
they  might  be  ready  in  ease  of  war.  His  appeal  was  not 
in  vain.  Forthwith  several  ladies  made  a  modest  begin- 
ning, and  as  early  as  the  following  year  (1865)  a  building 
was  purchased  and  dedicated.  The  first  deaconess  super- 
intendent was  Madam  D.  Bornovo.  From  the  beginning 
this  institution  had  many  influential  friends,  and  the 
Queen  of  the  Netherlands  was  its  protector  and  munifi- 
15 


226  HlSTUKY    OF   THE   DeACONESS   MOVEMENT. 

cent  patroness.  The  house,  which  was  occupied  in  1865, 
was  greatly  enlarged  in  1870,  and  seven  years  later  the 
foundation  was  laid  for  a  beautiful  new  building,  which 
was  occupied  in  18T9. 

The  institution  to-day  has  fifty  deaconesses  (including 
the  probationers),  and  five  of  them  are  engaged  in  parish 
nursing.  The  annual  income  is  $25,000,  and  the  prin- 
cipal building,  of  which  a  view  is  given,  is  a  massive  struc- 
ture, with  all  modern  equipments.  The  management  of 
the  institution  is  almost  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  dea- 
coness superintendent,  who  is  assisted  by  several  of  the 
older  deaconesses  and  by  a  committee  of  ladies.  Miss  A^an 
Soeterwoude  is  the  head  deaconess,  and  the  clergymen 
of  the  institution  are  Dr.  J.  G.  Knottnerus  and  Dr.  G.  A. 
Rademaker. 

Besides  the  Deaconess  Institution  the  Board  of  Man- 
agement controls  the  following  establishments:  1.  A  san- 
itarium for  old  ladies  and  for  wornout  deaconesses.  2.  An 
isolating  station.  3.  A  Home  for  the  deaconesses  who 
are  on  preliminary  probation.  4.  An  isolating  division 
for  nervous  diseases.     5.  A  Deaconess  Home. 

The  Deaconess  Home  in  Haarlem.  In  the  year  1874 
Miss  A.  J.  M.  Teding  Van  Berkhout  took  the  first  patient 
into  her  house,  and  six  years  later  (1880)  a  building  was 
erected  in  the  garden  of  this  house  for  the  treatment  of 
epileptics.  This  institution  received  the  beautiful  Scrip- 
tural name  of  "Zoar.^^  As  the  building  soon  became  too 
small.  Miss  Teding  appealed  to  a  number  of  Christian 
friends  for  help.  Thus  a  society  was  formed  which  de- 
voted itself  enthusiastically  to  this  branch  of  Christian 
benevolence,  and  in  a  few  years  it  had  erected  three  build- 
ings for  epileptic  women  in  Haarlem,  and  three  buildings 
for  epileptic  men  near  by  in  Heemstede.  Pastor  L.  H.  F. 
Creutzberg  was  installed  as  rector  of  the  institution  in 


In  Other  European  Countries. 


227 


1885.  He  was  soon  convinced  that  deacons  were  necessary 
for  the  care  of  epileptic  men,  and  in  this  Pastor  Von 
Bodellschwingh,  of  Bielefeld,  came  to  his  aid  nntil  a 
Deacons'  Home  could  be  built  and  a  male  diaconate  pro- 
vided. The  management  succeeded  in  purchasing  a  beau- 
tifull}^  situated  manor-house  "Meer  en  Bosch/'  and  fitted 
it  out  for  the 
male  nurses. 
Pastor  Creutz- 
berg  found 
himself  com- 
pelled as  early 
as  1890  to  re- 
sign his  ofHce 
on  account  of 
his  health. 
His  successor 
was  Pastor  J. 
L.  Zegers.  In 
the  year  1887 
Miss  A.  J.  M. 
Teding  Van 
B  e  r  k  h  0  u  t 
founded     a  "^^^  Dkaconess  home  in  Haarlem. 

Deaconess  Home,  the  management  of  which  she  laid  in  the 
hands  of  a  committee,  she  serving  as  a  member  of  the 
committee.  Miss  Aletta  Lamberta  Hoog  served  as  the 
first  head  deaconess.  So  prosperous  was  the  work  that 
in  the  following  year  the  neighboring  house  was  bought 
and  a  Children's  Home  begun.  In  the  year  1889  the 
number  of  deaconesses  had  grown  so  rapidly  that  sev- 
eral of  them  could  be  sent  to  Amsterdam  for  parish 
work.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  Deaconess  Insti- 
tution in  Amsterdam.     In  the  year  1893  a  new  hospital 


228 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


building  with  the  latest  improvements  was  erected.  In 
1894  the  organization  of  a  Eescue  Home  for  Fallen  Girls 
was  undertaken  in  Haarlem,  and  in  1897  the  management 
of  the  Home  for  Old  People  and  Incurables  in  the  neigh- 
boring Hillegom  assumed.  In  this  year,  also,  an  isolating 
barracks  was  built  on  the  grounds  of  the  institution, 
which  had  been  enlarged.  The  management  of  the  in- 
stitution  controls    at   present   numerous   buildings,    and 


Deaconess  Home  in  Arnheim. 


the  work  has  grown  in  all  directions  in  the  most  gratify- 
ing manner.  Including  the  thirty-five  probationers,  the 
institution  has  fifty-six  deaconesses.  Connected  with  the 
hospital,  in  which  five  hundred  patients  have  been  nursed 
and  one  hundred  and  seventy-one  operations  performed 
during  the  past  year,  is  a  clinic.  The  institution  has 
three  buildings  in  Haarlem — "Bethesda,"  "Sarepta,"  and 
"Shiloh;"  also  three  buildings  in  Heemstede — "Zoar," 
"Salem,^'  and  "Ebenezer.''  Besides  this,  the  deaconesses 
nurse    in    several    parishes;    namely,    Hillegom,    Beesa, 


In  Other  European  Countries.  229 

Brenkelen,  Doom,  Nymegen,  and  Zeist.  They  also  have 
charge  of  a  summer  station  in  Zandvoort.  For  several 
years  an  interest  has  been  awakened  in  the  Institution 
for  Foreign  Missions,  and  several  deaconesses  have  been 
sent  to  the  Dutch  East  Indies.  The  monthly  organ  of 
the  institution  is  "Het  Diakonaat.'' 

The  Mother  House  in  Arnheim.  The  establishment 
of  this  institution  had  its  origin  with  the  consistory  of 
the  Reformed  Church  of  Arnheim.  The  Home  was 
opened  on  the  3d  of  August,  1884.  Mother  Johanna 
Van  Ness  is  the  first  deaconess  superintendent.  The 
management  of  external  affairs  is  in  the  hands  of  a 
Board  of  Directors.  The  house,  which  originally  had 
room  for  twenty-four  patients,  has  been  enlarged  to  a 
capacity  of  one  hundred  and  forty.  The  isolating  ward 
lies  to  the  rear  of  the  hospital.  Only  a  short  distance 
away  is  the  Old  Ladies^  Home,  and  near  by  is  the  par- 
sonage, in  which  several  rooms  have  been  fitted  up  for 
cripples.  In  another  part  of  the  beautiful  grounds  is 
the  Eest  Home  for  sick  and  wornout  deaconesses.  Fifty- 
five  deaconesses,  including  the  probationers,  belong  to 
this  institution.  Pastor  D.  Disselhoff,  son  of  the  late 
Dr.  Disselhoff,  of  Kaiserswerth,  was  for  a  long  time 
rector  of  the  institution.  In  September,  1900,  he  ac- 
cepted the  call  as  co-rector  of  Kaisersw^erth,  and  moved 
thither.  The  vacant  place  was  filled  in  March,  1901, 
by  Pastor  A.  M.  Knotterus.  Seven  deaconesses  are  em- 
ployed as  parish  nurses  in  different  towns,  and  one  has 
charge  of  the  Children's  Hospital.  The  queen's  mother 
has  been  a  patroness  of  the  institution  since  its  incep- 
tion. During  the  past  few  years  the  buildings  have  been 
considerably  enlarged. 

The  Deaconess  Mother  House  in  Groningen  was 
founded  in  1888,  and  has  now  fifteen  deaconesses.     To 


230 


HiSTOEY   OF   THE   DeACONESS   MOVEMENT. 


judge  from  the  reports,  an  extraordinary  work  has  been 
accomplished  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  number  of 
deaconesses  has  remained  small.  For  instance,  in  the 
past  year  nearly  four  hundred  patients  were  nursed  and 
two  hundred  and  forty-seven  operations  performed.  In 
round  numbers  the  income  and  disbursements  amounted 
to  20,000  francs. 


Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in  Amsterdam. 


The  Lutheran  Deaconess  Mother  House  in  Amster- 
dam was  founded  in  1880,  and  now  numbers  forty-five 
deaconesses.  The  Reformed  Deaconess  Institution,  also 
in  Amsterdam,  which  was  founded  in  1891,  erected  a 
large  Deaconess  Home  immediately  contiguous  to  its 
hospital  in  1899.  The  number  of  deaconesses,  includ- 
ing the  probationers,  is  forty-five. 

The  Deaconess  Institution  in  Rotterdam  was  founded 
September  22,  1892,  and  the  first  head  deaconess.  Mevr. 


Ix  Other  European  Countries. 


231 


De  Wed  J.  Baljon,  was  installed  on  the  same  day.  The 
organization  of  this  institution  is  to  be  traced  back  to 
the  labors  of  two  parish  deaconesses,  who  had  up  to  that 
time  been  employed  in  Eotterdam.  Two  ladies,  who 
wished  to  remain  unknown,  donated  a  splendid  house 
for  deaconess  purposes,  and  furnished  it  in  the  most  elab- 
orate style.  Not  even  a  collection  was  permitted  on  the 
day  of  dedication.  All  contributions  which  came  un- 
solicited were  used  for  the   endowment   of   a  free  bed. 


The  Lutheran  Deaconess  Home  in  Amsterdam. 


Of  the  seventeen  probationary  deaconesses,  after  the 
lapse  of  five  years,  only  two  were  consecrated.  In  1896 
the  institution  was  considerably  enlarged  by  the  erec- 
tion of  a  large  annex,  which  contains  a  ward  for  male 
patients,  a  polyclinic,  and  a  number  of  rooms  for  the 
Sisters.  The  hospital  has  room  for  twenty-seven  beds, 
but  is  too  small  for  the  present  requirements.  Several 
Sisters  are  parish  nurses,  and  others  nurse  in  private 
families. 

The  Zeeland  Deaconess  Institution  was  founded  June 
13,    1900.      A    number    of   pastors    met    on    April    17th, 


232        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

and  again  June  13th,  in  Middelburg.  At  their  second 
meeting  they  organized  a  Deaconess  Society,  and  decided 
to  establish  an  institution.  Especial  stress  was  laid  on 
parish  work.  So  far,  the  number  of  Sisters  is  small, 
but  they  work  with  great  faithfulness  and  devotion 
among  the  poor  fishermen's  families,  who  are  very  nu- 
merous in  this  locality. 

A  number  of  Deaconess  Institutions  have  been  founded 
lately,  but  have  not  yet  advanced  beyond  the  first  stages; 
for  instance,  the  Lutheran  Deaconess  Institution  in 
Zwolle,  the  Hospital  in  Scheveningen,  the  Institutions 
in  Leyden,  in  Breda,  and  in  Lemoade,  and  the  Best  Home 
in  Zeist. 

In  1866  several  Mother  Houses  in  the  Netherlands 
formed  a  Conference  under  the  title  "The  United  Dea- 
coness Conference  of  the  Netherlands.'^ 

The  Deaconess  Homes  of  Eussia. 

Tlie  Deaconess  Mother  House  of  St.  Petershurg,  the 
capital  of  the  Eussian  Empire,  grew  out  of  the  Evangel- 
ical Hospital,  which  was  founded  in  1859.  Pastor  Theo- 
dore Schaef er  describes  its  origin  as  follows :  "In  a  rented 
frame  house,  diagonally  across  from  St.  Ann's  Church, 
the  first  Evangelical  Hospital  found  a  home.  Dr.  Karl 
Von  Mayer,  a  young  and  devout  physician  who  had 
studied  the  Deaconess  Cause  in  Germany,  ruled  here 
with  a  strict  hand  as  physician,  but  as  a  director  was 
deeply  respected  on  account  of  his  tireless  zeal  and 
warm  devotion.  His  wife,  who  was  especially  fitted  by 
previous  experience  to  preside  over  the  internal  affairs 
of  the  institution,  was  equally  loved  and  revered.  Yet 
her  period  of  usefulness  was  limited  to  two  and  a  half 
years.  She  died  of  consumption,  and  Sister  Angelica 
Eschholz  succeeded  her  as  deaconess  superintendent.     In 


In^  Other  European  Countries. 


233 


prosperity  and  adversity  Mayer  was  equally  indefatigable 
in  his  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  young  institu- 
tion. His  zeal  and  especial  fitness  enabled  him  every- 
where to  gain  the  public  ear,  arouse  interest,  secure 
funds,  and  win  friends  for  the  good  cause.  The  assistant 
physician,  Dr.  T.  Von  Berg,  proved  himself  eminently 
fitted  for  the  medical  work.  The  number  of  patients, 
and  with  the  amount  of  work,  grew  to  such  an  extent 


-'ly^jM'Mj^ii-tia 


Dkaooness  Home  and  HospixAii  in  St.  Petersburg. 


that  only  the  most  capable  of  the  Sisterhod,  and  they 
only  by  the  most  strenuous  exertion,  were  equal  to  the 
task.  Mayer  was  aware  of  the  incipient  danger  which 
threatened  the  great  cause  that  lay  so  near  his  heart. 
In  the  misproportion  of  hospital  w^ork  to  the  available 
help  he  saw  a  proof  that  if  the  hospital  were  given  prom- 
inence at  the  expense  of  the  Deaconess  Cause,  the  latter 
would  be  in  danger  of  extinction.  This  was  a  thought 
he  could  not  tolerate,  for  his  first  concern  was  for  the 


234        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Deaconess  Home,  and  he  was  fully  convinced  that  even 
the  hospital  could  not  remain  as  an  Evangelical  Hospital 
and  fulfill  its  purpose  unless  a  Deaconess  Home  were 
provided. 

On  the  2d  of  June,  1875,  Pastor  Kersten  was  in- 
stalled as  rector;  but  as  the  differences  between  Dr. 
Ma3^er  and  the  Board  of  Managers  were  not  yet  settled, 
he  found  it  difficult  to  maintain  his  position.  After 
several  years  he  therefore  resigned,  and  accepted  a  call 
to  the  Church  of  Jesus  in  St.  Petersburg.  At  last  came 
the  inevitable  crisis.  Dr.  Mayer  moved,  on  May  21,  1878, 
that:  "The  chief  interest  shall  center  in  the  Deaconess 
Home,  and  the  Evangelical  Hospital  shall  cease  to  be  an 
independent  institution.  It  shall  be  the  hospital  of  the 
Deaconess  Home;  the  director  of  the  Deaconess  Institu- 
tion shall  be  the  director  of  the  Evangelical  Hospital,  the 
deaconess  superintendent  shall  be  his  assistant.  The 
chief  physician  may  designate  the  treatment,  but  not 
the  spirit  of  the  Home.'^  At  the  same  time.  Dr.  Yon 
Mayer  notified  the  Board  of  Managers  that  his  future 
connection  with  the  institution  would  depend  on  their 
adoption  of  his  resolution.  The  result  was  that  a  reso- 
lution was  adopted  placing  the  hospital  and  Deaconess 
Home  on  a  relation  of  equality  to  each  other.  Under 
the  circumstances.  Dr.  Mayer  was  bound  to  withdraw 
from  the  directory  according  to  his  ow^n  declaration. 
With  this  it  was  decided  that  the  two  co-ordinate  in- 
stitutions, the  hospital  and  the  Deaconess  Home,  should 
exist  under  the  same  roof.  In  this  respect  this  institu- 
tion differs  from  all  other  Deaconess  Mother  Houses  in 
Europe.  Dr.  Yon  Mayer  lived  only  five  years  after  his 
withdrawal.  On  the  26th  of  July,  1883,  this  meritorious 
and  great  philanthropist,  who  had  devoted  the  best  years 
of  his  life  to  this  institution,  fell   asleep  in  the  Lord. 


Ix  Other  European  Countries.  235 

Acting  Counselor  of  State  Dr.  Otto  A^on  Gruenewaldt 
was  chosen  director  of  the  hospital,  and  Pastor  Nicolai 
Von  Euckteschell  as  rector.  Hospital  and  Deaconess 
Home  now  retained  a  co-ordinate  relation. 

From  the  above-mentioned  frame  building,  in  which 
it  was  begun  (1859),  the  institution  was  removed  to  the 
splendid  building,  which  is  shown  on  page  233,  in 
1873.  This  is  a  Gothic  brick  structure,  an  ornament 
of  the  imperial  city.  Both  in  the  arrangement  and  fur- 
nishing of  the  rooms  it  was  sought  to  preserve  the  char- 
acter of  the  family  home  as  much  as  possible.  The 
building,  complete  with  furniture,  cost  nearly  200,000 
rubles.  This  example  has  been  followed,  not  only  in 
Moscow,  which  received  its  directress  from  the  Deaconess 
Home  of  St.  Petersburg,  but  also  in  Warsaw  and  Odessa. 
However,  there  are  no  Deaconess  Homes  connected  with 
these  hospitals.  When  Dr.  0.  Von  Gruenewaldt  left  the 
residence.  Counselor  of  State  Dr.  Frankenhaeuser  took 
his  place,  after  Pastor  Fit  Von  Busch  had  already  been 
installed,  September  17,  1889,  in  place  of  Ixector  Von 
Euckteschell,  at  present  pastor  of  the  Church  of  Peace, 
in  Eilbeck,  near  Hamburg.  In  1895  the  institution  was 
substantially  enlarged  by  the  erection  of  an  extensive 
barracks  in  honor  of  Her  Majesty  the  Empress  Maria 
Feodorowna,  and  perfected  by  putting  in  an  operating- 
room  which  fills  all  the  requirements  of  modern  surgical 
science. 

At  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  accession  of 
Emperor  Alexander  II,  a  fund  of  38,000  rubles  was  created 
as  the  "Alexander  Jubilee  Endowment"  for  the  main- 
tenance of  six  free  patients,  in  memory  of  this  noble 
patron  of  the  institution,  who  presented  Ligowka  Island, 
with  all  its  buildings,  to  the  Evangelical  Hospital,  when, 
at    the    expense    of    the     Grand    Duchess     Alexandria 


236         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Josephowna,  thirty  officers  were  taken  in  for  treatment 
after  the  Turkish  War.  He  often  visited  the  institu- 
tion in  company  with  the  empress,  once  bringing  with  him 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  imperial  household. 

In  the  last  twenty  years  the  institution  has  had  a 
quiet  and  gratifying  growth,  although  there  have  been 
several  changes  in  the  office  of  the  deaconess  superin- 
tendent. Since  its  organization  fourteen  thousand  pa- 
tients have  been  nursed  in  the  hospital.  The  deaconesses 
(including  probationers)  now  number  forty-two.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  Mother  House  must  be  noticed  a  primary 
school,  a  Children's  Asylum,  and  the  Rest  House.  Sev- 
eral deaconesses  are  also  engaged  as  nurses  in  private 
families  and  in  parish  work.  On  the  10th  of  December, 
1901,  it  was  decided  to  erect  on  the  valuable  piece  of 
ground  adjacent  to  the  other  hospital,  which  had  been 
left  them  by  the  City  Board,  a  second  modern  hospital, 
to  contain  twenty-five  rooms.  The  sum  of  116,000  rubles 
is  to  be  expended  upon  it.  The  trustees  appealed  to  the 
public  for  aid.  To-day  the  structure  stands  completed 
and  elegantly  furnished.  The  rector  of  the  Deaconess 
Home  and  pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  hospital  is  Dr. 
F.  von  Busch;  the  head  deaconess,  Mrs.  I.  Behm. 

We  make  the  following  extracts  from  the  conditions 
laid  down  for  admission  to  the  Sisterhood:  "As  a  rule, 
the  age  must  not  be  under  eighteen  or  over  forty  years. 
On  entering,  the  applicant  remains  on  a  preliminary 
probation.  The  shortest  term  of  the  preliminary  pro- 
bation is  six  weeks,  the  longest  six  months.  Then  they 
enter  the  ranks  of  the  probationers  and  assume  their 
garb.  When  they  have  proven  themselves  worthy,  they 
receive  the  confirmation  of  the  Church  and  enter  on  the 
calling  of  a  deaconess.  During  the  first  year  the  pro- 
bationers receive  free  board  and  lodging;  at  the  expira- 


In  Other  European  Countries.  237 

tion  of  this  time  they  also  receive  clothing  and  pocket- 
money.  The  Mother  House  provides  for  all  necessities 
of  the  deaconess,  including  their  support  in  old  age  or 
when  incapacitated  for  active  service.'' 

Tlie  Deaconess  Mother  House  in  Helsmgfors  was 
founded  in  September,  1867,  by  the  wife  of  Colonel 
Ivaramzin,  at  her  own  expense.  Up  to  this  time  the 
female  diaconate  was  entirely  unknown  in  Finland.  Fin- 
land had  passed  over  from  Sweden  to  the  Russian  Em- 
pire in  1806,  and  as  all  religious  activity  of  the  laity 
was  treated  with  great  distrust  in  Russia,  it  received  the 
same  treatment  in  Finland.  On  her  extensive  travels 
through  Germany,  Madam  Ivaramzin  became  acquainted 
with  the  Deaconess  Cause,  and  promised  Pastor  Fliedner 
that  she  would  found  a  Deaconess  Institution  on  her  re- 
turn to  her  home.  She  kept  her  promise,  and  opened 
a  small  hospital  in  a  rented  house.  A  widow,  Mrs. 
Amanda  Cajander,  was  appointed  superintendent.  She 
had  received  a  thorough  training  in  the  hospital  in  St. 
Petersburg,  and,  besides  the  management  of  the  hos- 
pital, presided  over  a  Children's  Home,  which  she  founded 
in  1869.  As  the  Finns  are  very  slow  to  adopt  anything 
new,  the  growth  of  the  Deaconess  Institution  was  like- 
wise very  slow.  The  pastors  remained  its  best  friends. 
In  the  year  1875,  however,  a  Deaconess  Home  was  se- 
cured through  the  liberality  of  Madam  Ivaramzin,  which 
also  served  as  a  hospital.  The  work  in  the  Children's 
Home  was  also  continued,  parish  nursing  introduced  in 
a  country  town,  and  the  poorhouse  of  the  Province  in- 
trusted to  the  management  of  the.  deaconesses. 

The  greatest  hindrance  with  which  the  institution 
constantly  had  to  contend  was  the  lack  of  appreciation 
for  the  object  of  the  Deaconess  Work,  and  the  conse- 
quent lack  of  young  women  who  were  willing  to  devote 


238         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

themselves  to  the  Cc-Jling.  There  is  still  much  uncer- 
tainty as  to  how  parish  nurses,  should  be  trained,  and 
many  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  communal  principle 
of  Fliedner's  system  is  out  of  harmony  with  modern  views 
of  freedom  and  independence,  and  that  therefore  a  dif- 
ferent form  of  Deaconess  Work  should  be  introduced  in 
Finland.  Many  are  in  favor  of  training  the  Sisters  on 
the  principle  of  the  Evangelical  Diaconate  Association 
in  Germany.  The  former  professor,  H.  Eabergh  (at 
present  bishop),  from  the  beginning  showed  great  in- 
terest in  the  work,  and  for  a  time  even  took  up  his  resi- 
dence in  the  Deaconess  Home.  The  Mother  House  had 
no  rector  of  its  own  until  1893,  when  Pastor  C.  G.  Olsoni 
was  chosen.  The  institution  then  made  very  rapid  prog- 
ress, although  the  increase  in  the  number  of  deaconesses 
has  not  been  in  proportion  to  the  needs  of  the  work. 
The  city  of  Helsingfors  donated  a  suitable  building  site, 
and  in  the  year  1897  two  new  buildings,  a  hospital  and 
a  Deaconess  Home,  were  ready  for  dedication.  The  site 
of  the  institution  is  very  fine,  affording  a  w^de  view  of 
the  sea.  The  Deaconess  Home,  with  the  church  belong- 
ing to  it,  is  connected  with  the  hospital  by  a  covered 
passage.  The  latter  is  furnished  with  all  modern  con- 
veniences, and  has  a  capacity  for  seventy-five  patients. 
In  the  year  1900  the  number  of  patients  nursed  was 
1,039;  days  and  nights  of  nursing,  31,414.  The  number 
of  deaconesses  is  fifty.  The  income  during  the  last  year 
amounted  to  154,311  francs.  Pastor  G.  A.  Palmroth 
has  been  rector  since  1899.  The  deaconesses  are  stationed 
in  fourteen  fields  of  labor,  as  follows:  1.  In  six  hospitals 
(one  of  which  is  the  Lepers'  Asylum  near  Helsingfors); 
2.  Parish-nursing  in  six  parishes;  3.  Ministering  to  the 
poor  in  four  districts;  and  4.  Managing  a  poorhouse  in 
a  country  village,  founded  by  Madam  Ivaramzin. 


Ix  Other  European  Countries.  229 

The  Evangelical  Lutheran  Deaconess  Institution  in  Beval 
was  opened  on  the  23d  of  May,  1867,  with  the  as- 
sistance of  three  deaconesses  from  Xeuendettelsau. 
Pastor  NichoLas  Yon  Stackelberg  had  received  a  great 
amonnt  of  information  and  encouragement  during  a 
former  sojourn  in  Neuendettelsau,  and  presided  over  this 
institution  for  man}^  years  with  zeal  and  discretion.  Un- 
fortunately it  seemed  necessary,  after  the  first  four  years, 
to  recall  the  deaconesses  from  Neuendettelsau  on  account 
of  their  health,  thus  leaving  the  management  to  depend 
entirely  on  its  own  resources.  It  succeeded  in  gaining 
a  suitable  deaconess  superintendent  in  Miss  Theresa  Von 
Mohrenschildt.  But  the  development  of  the  institution 
was  hindered  in  the  same  vvay  as  it  was  in  Helsingfors. 
Financially  the  institution  received  extraordinary  sup- 
port through  a  legacy  of  100,000  rubles  from  Mr.  August 
von  Kursell,  who  died  in  18T8.  This  made  it  possible  to 
improve  the  buildings  considerably,  and  to  extend  the 
fields  of  labor.  The  present  rector  is  Pastor  G.  Berg- 
witz,  and  the  institution  has  forty-two  deaconesses,  of 
w^hom  twenty-four  are  consecrated.  The  work  of  the  in- 
stitution covers  the  following  branches:  Three  aflfiliated 
Homes,  the  hospital  of  the  Mother  House,  an  Asylum 
for  Lnbeciles,  and  a  Children's  nursery,  with  courses  of 
instruction  for  children's  nurses.  Fields  of  labor:  1. 
Two  hospitals,  with  twenty-five  deaconesses  and  pre- 
liminary probationers;  Eeval :  the  hospital  (23);  Asylum 
for  IndDCciles  (2).  2.  Children's  nursery,  with  two  dea- 
conesses. 3.  Xursing  in  ten  parishes,  with  seven  dea- 
conesses, of  which  seven  are  in  Reval,  with  four  dea- 
conesses, one  in  Ampel  (Esthonia),  one  in  St.  Catherine 
(Esthonia),  and  one  in  Fallia  (Livonia).  4.  Magdalen 
Asylum  in  Eeval,  one  deaconess. 

Evangelical   Maria   Deaconess  Home   in   Riga.      This 


240         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

institution  was  founded,  in  1866,  by  Baron  E.  Von 
Ungern-Sternberg,  Counselor  of  State  L.  Kaestner,  Dr. 
Henke,  and  Pastor  Loesewitz.  The  latter  accepted  the 
management  of  the  institution,  and  Deaconess  Anna 
Eysold  was  the  first  deaconess  superintendent,  filling 
the  office  for  eleven  years  with  entire  satisfaction.  In 
the  third  year  a  house  was  bought  for  9,000  rubles,  and 
nearly  paid  for,  thus  securing  a  permanent  home.  The 
growth  of  the  institution  was  very  much  retarded  by  a 
clash  of  principles.  The  question  in  dispute  was  whether 
the  chief  physician  or  the  rector  of  the  institution  was 
the  highest  in  authority.  This  dispute  was  settled  in 
1872  by  electing  a  rector  exclusively  for  the  institution. 
From  this  time  on,  for  many  years,  the  institution  was 
unfortunately  involved  in  heavy  debts,  from  which  it  was 
unable  to  extricate  itself  until  the  last  few  years.  To- 
day the  institution  has  forty-two  deaconesses,  of  whom 
twenty-seven  are  consecrated.  Two  Branch  Homes  and 
eleven  fields  of  labor  are  connected  with  the  Mother 
House.  One-half  of  the  deaconesses  are  employed  at 
the  stations.  Pastor  Zinck  is  rector,  and  Deaconess 
A.  Pell  is  deaconess  superintendent.  The  property  is 
valued  at  95,404  rubles,  and  the  receipts  and  expenses 
of  the  last  year  were  24,000  rubles. 

The  Deaconess  Institution  ''BetlieV  in  Wihoi^g  was 
dedicated  September  29,  1869.  This  institution  is  the 
result  of  a  large  donation  made  by  the  Hackman  family. 
In  reality  the  institution  grew  out  of  a  Children's  Asylum. 
A  deaconess  was  at  the  head  of  the  asylum  from  1868  to 
1882.  Driven  by  necessity,  she  opened  a  hospital  with 
ten  beds,  and  in  this  way  provided  the  possibility  of 
furnishing  the  deaconesses  with  the  necessary  medical 
training.  As  early  as  1873  a  large  house  was  occupied 
and  dedicated  as   a  Deaconess  Institution.     In   1879   a 


In  Other  European  Countries.  241 

children's  school  was  opened,  and  in  1881  a  second  school 
for  small  children  was  established.  Ten  deaconesses  are 
at  present  employed  in  seven  different  fields  of  labor. 
The  institution  is  situated  in  a  beautiful  garden,  is  free 
of  debt,  and  has  an  interest-bearing  capital  of  $25,000. 

The  Alexander  Asylum  in  Sarata.  This  institution 
was  founded  in  1865  by  the  following  pastors:  Behning, 
Becker,  and  Bienemann.  In  commemoration  of  the 
rescue  of  Emperor  Alexander  II,  on  April  4,  1866,  the 
title  Alexander  Asylum  was  adopted.  Four  deaconesses 
from  Neuendettelsau  were  connected  with  the  institution 
till  1871,  after  which  time  the  work  was  carried  on  by 
native  talent  only.  During  the  Turkish  War  (1877-78) 
the  institution  co-operated  with  the  Society  of  the  Ked 
Cross  on  the  field  by  sending  three  nurses.  In  1883  the 
present  stately  building  was  dedicated.  The  institution 
has  thirty  Sisters,  and  its  income  for  the  year  1900  was 
$5,200.  The  deaconesses  are  employed  in  twelve  fields 
of  labor. 

The  Deaconess  Home  in  Mittau  is  a  daughter  of  the 
Mother  House  in  Dresden,  and  it  owes  its  origin  (1865) 
to  the  liberal  financial  support  which  that  institution 
received  from  the  Countess  E.  Von  Medem.  This  in- 
stitution contended  vrith  various  difficulties  until,  in  1880, 
Pastor  L.  Katterfeld,  at  that  time  pastor  of  St.  John's 
Evangelical  Church,  took  control.  His  wife,  being  in 
thorough  sympathy  with  her  husband's  work,  presided 
as  matron.  The  institution  now  has  forty-two  deacon- 
esses, employed  in  seven  hospitals  and  in  nineteen  dif- 
ferent fields  of  labor.  The  annual  income  amounts  to 
$14,000.  The  organ  of  the  institution,  "Der  Bote,"  pro- 
motes an  intelligent  appreciation  of  the  work,  which 
has  taken  deeper  root  in  the  last  few  years.  The  chief 
hindrance  proves  to  be  the  continual  lack  of  deaconesses. 
16 


242 


lilSTOEY   OF   THE   DeACONESS   MOVEMENT. 


The  Deaconess  Cause  in  Austeia-Hungary. 


The   Mother   Home    '^Bethesda' 


in 


Budapest.      There 


are  two  prominent  Mother  Houses  in  Austria-Hungary, 
one  in  Budapest  and  the  other  in  Gallenkirchen  (Upper 
Austria).  The  Deaconess  institution  in  Budapest  was  the 
first  benevolent  institution  organized  by  the  Home  Mis- 
sion of  the  Evangelical   Church  in  Hungary.     For  two 


'A 

i 

Deaconess  Home  "Bethesda,"  in  Budapest. 


hundred  years  the  Protestant  Church  of  Hungary  suf- 
fered from  severe  persecution.  When,  at  last,  in  the 
middle  of  the  last  century,  the  times  had  become  more 
settled,  it  was  possible,  through  an  encouraging  gift  from 
Scotland,  to  entertain  the  thought  of  establishing  a  Dea- 
coness Institution.  Four  deaconesses,  for  whom  appli- 
cation had  been  made  in  Kaiserswerth,  arrived  in  Buda- 
pest in  1866,  a  year  after  a  house  had  been  fitted  up  for 
the  reception  of  patients.     This  was  during  the  war  be- 


In  Other  European  Countries.  243 

tween  Prussia  and  Austria,  and  the  little  hospital  was 
filled  with  wounded  soldiers  during  the  first  weeks.  But 
this  served  to  advertise  it  far  and  wide.  After  two  years 
the  opportunity  offered  itself  of  securing  a  commodious 
house  in  the  midst  of  a  large  garden,  at  a  reasonable 
price.  After  the  lapse  of  two  more  years  the  first  half 
of  the  purchase  money  was  paid.  The  city  authorities, 
however,  then  confiscated  the  whole  property  for  the  pur- 
pose of  laying  out  a  street,  and  paid  for  it  an  amount 
large  enough  to  enable  the  management  to  purchase  a 
more  suitable  property  and  furnish  it  in  the  most  satis- 
factory manner,  free  of  debt.  The  German  Eeformed 
Church,  which  had  originated  the  institution,  was  now 
able  to  establish  an  Orphans'  Home,  to  be  managed  by 
the  deaconesses.  Through  these  two  institutions  a 
Protestant  center  of  evangelization  was  created  in  Hun- 
gary, which  has  proven  a  great  blessing  to  that  country. 
The  greatest  difficulty  with  which  the  Deaconess  Insti- 
tution contends  is  the  lack  of  deaconesses,  the  supply 
having  been  almost  exclusively  drawn  from  other  coun- 
tries. Lately,  however,  Hungary  has  supplied  some  na- 
tive candidates,  and  the  Deaconess  Cause  will  therefore 
see  greater  successes  in  the  future.  The  twenty  dea- 
conesses are  employed  in  four  different  fields  of  labor. 
Pastor  Biberauer  has  been  the  rector  for  the  past  two 
years. 

The  Evangelical  Deaconess  Institution  in  Gallneu- 
Urchen.  The  beginning  of  this  prosperous  institution, 
which,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  illustration,  embraces  a 
number  of  respectable  buildings,  is  to  be  traced  back 
to  the  religious  awakening  which  came  to  Upper  Austria 
under  the  leadership  of  the  Catholic  clergyman,  Martin 
Boos.  Several  evangelical  congregations  were  the  result 
of  that  revival,  and  the  one  in  Gallneukirchen,  in  1872, 


244        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

purchased  of  Prince  Stahemberg  the  former  government 
'^coiirf'  or  "guardhouse/'  in  which  the  followers  of  Boos 
had  often  been  tried  and  condemned.     Here  the  Dea- 


Deaconess  Mother  House,  Gai.lneukirohen. 

eoness  Institution  was  opened  by  the  entrance  of  two 
deaconesses  who  had  received  their  training  in  the  in- 
stitution at  Stuttgart.  Very  soon  a  separate  hospital  was 
erected,  and  from  this  center  the  work  soon  spread  over 


Ix  Other  European  Countries.  245 

many  towns  in  Austria.  In  Meran,  Tyrol,  after  tlie  new 
Evangelical  Chnrch  had  Ijeen  dedicated,  two  deaconesses 
were  installed  as  parish  deaconesses,  December  13,  1885. 
The  first  inducement  to  establish  this  institution  came 
from  the  gift  of  a  former  deaconess,  who  gave  the  pastor 
the  sum  of  10,000  marks.  An  addition  to  the  Mother 
House  in  Gallneukirchen  was  finished  in  1880.  In  April 
of  the  same  year  the  building  of  an  Orphan  and  Rescue 
Home  was  begun  in  Reckersdorf,  and  on  the  4th  of 
October,  the  anniversary  of  the  name  of  the  emperor, 
this  building,  brought  by  the  Evangelical  Church  as  a 
thank-offering  to  God  for  the  grant  of  religious  tolera- 
tion, was  dedicated  to  its  benevolent  object.  To-day  a 
walk  through  Gallneukirchen  would  lead  past  a  large 
number  of  institutions  which  were  begun  in  faith,  and 
now  enjoy  a  happy  measure  of  prosperity.  Besides  the 
Mother  House  we  find  Zoar,  an  institution  for  children; 
the  Martin's  Institute,  an  establishment  for  epileptic 
idiots;  an  Orphanage,  a  Rescue  Home,  and  a  Book  De- 
pository. The  Mother  House  has  fifty-seven  deaconesses, 
who  are  stationed  in  ten  hospitals  and  eighteen  other 
fields  of  labor.  The  annual  income  in  round  numbers 
is  $15,000. 

The  Institutions  in  Denmark,  Sweden,  and  Norway. 
The  Deaconess  Home  in  Copeiiliagen.  When,  in  the 
year  1888,  this  institution  celebrated  its  twenty-fifth  an- 
niversary, it  was  with  sincere  joy  over  the  magnificent 
edifice  occupied  by  the  Mother  House  with  its  one 
hundred  and  fifty  deaconesses.  The  first  impulse  to 
the  organization  of  this  institution  came  from  the  royal 
family.  Princess  (afterwards  Queen)  Louisa,  as  well 
as  the  widowed  queen,  Caroline  Amelia,  were  inter- 
ested in   the   Deaconess   Cause,   and   through   their   in- 


246 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


fluence  the  institution  was  organized  in  1863.  In  his 
younger  years  the  well-known  Bishop  Martensen  was  at 
the  head  of  this  institution,  and  it  owes  its  prosperous 
development  more  to  him  than  to  any  other  person.  His 
Excellency,  Privy  Counselor  Classen,  was  connected  with 
the  institution  from  the  beginning  as  president  of  the 
Board  of  Directors.  Through  the  influence  of  the  court 
and  of  other  influential  persons,  who  from  the  beginning 


Deaconess  Homk  in  Copenhagen. 

took  an  active  interest  in  its  affairs,  this  institution  never 
lacked  the  necessary  means  nor  the  good  will  of  the 
public.  In  the  year  1891  it  suffered  a  grievous  loss  in 
the  death  of  its  first  and  most  experienced  deaconess 
superintendent,  Louisa  Conring.  Sophia  Zahrtmann  was 
elected  to  fill  her  place.  Another  serious  loss  for  the  in- 
stitution came  with  the  death  of  its  honorable  founder 
and  protectress.  Queen  Louisa  (September  29,  1898). 
Up  to  her  last  breath  she  watched  over  the  welfare 
and  progress  of  this  institution  with  indefatigable  devo- 
tion  and   great   faithfulness,   and    sacrificed   much   time 


ix  Other  European  Countries.  247 

and  money  in  its  welfare.  The  income  of  the  institu- 
tion is  increased  by  a  general  collection  from  the 
Churches,  which  is  taken  annually.  The  expenses  for 
the  year  1900  were  234,347  crowns.  One  hundred  and  ten 
fields  of  labor  and  twenty-one  hospitals  are  connected  with 
the  Mother  House.  The  seven  Branch  Institutions  include 
a  Crib,  a  Kindergarten,  a  Boys'  and  Girls'  School,  a 
Girls^  Home,  an  Infirmary,  and  a  Colportage  Society. 
Four  branches  are  in  the  country,  among  them  a  Home 
for  Epileptic  Girls  and  a  Women's  Rescue  Home.  In 
many  towns  of  Denmark,  as  well  as  in  numerous  country 
parishes,  the  deaconesses  are  employed  in  parish  work 
as  well  as  in  hospitals  and  poorhouses,  kindergartens, 
boys'  and  girls'  schools,  and  benevolent  institutions  of 
different  kinds.  To-day  the  institution  has  two  hundred 
and  seventy-five  deaconesses,  of  whom  one  hundred  and 
fifty-nine  are  consecrated. 

The  Deaconess  Motlier  House  in  Christiania.  This 
institution  was  founded  in  1868.  The  first  deaconess 
superintendent  was  Cathinka  Guldberg.  She  received 
her  training  in  Kaiserswerth,  and  was  employed  in  the 
hospital  in  Alexandria  for  several  years.  The  beginning 
of  this  institution  may  be  traced  to  tlie  publication  of 
several  articles  in  the  N'orwegian  "Kirchenzeitung,"  in 
the  years  1857-58.  These  articles  referred  to  the  pros- 
perous institutions  in  Germany,  and,  as  a  result,  the 
Society  for  Home  Missions  in  Christiania  resolved  to 
take  action  in  the  matter.  Pastor  Broon  made  a  number 
of  public  addresses,  which  were  pul)lished  in  the  Lutheran 
"Kirchenzeitung,"  and  awakened  a  great  deal  of  en- 
thusiasm. So  the  l)eginning  was  made  in  1868,  and 
after  four  years  they  were  able  to  purchase  a  valuable 
piece  of  property.  The  institution  has  over  four  hun- 
dred deaconesses,  who  are  employed  on  one  hundred  and 


^48        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

forty-one    different    fields    of    labor    and    in    thirty-nine 
hospitals. 

The  Deaconess  Mother  House  in  Stockholm.  This 
institution  was  dedicated  in  1851,  and  Sister  Maria 
Cederschiold,  who  received  her  training  in  Kaiserswerth, 
was  called  as  the  first  deaconess  superintendent.  The 
first  object  of  the  young  institution  was  the  training  of 
nurses;  but  necessity  soon  led  them  into  other  fields  of 
labor,  so  that,  after  two  years,  both  an  Orphan  Asylum 
and  a  Girls'  Home  were  opened.  In  a  short  time  a  Mag- 
dalen Asylum  was  founded,  which,  in  1858,  was  asso- 
ciated with  the  Deaconess  Institution.  The  establish- 
ment of  a  Rescue  Home  for  the  reception  of  girls  of  the 
age  of  eight  to  twelve  years  followed  in  1860.  Then,  as 
a  sequel  to  the  Rescue  Home,  a  Housekeeping  School  was 
established,  in  which  the  girls  were  trained  for  domestic 
service.  In  the  year  1884  a  Rest  Home  was  dedicated, 
and  then  an  Infirmary  for  Incurables.  So  one  institu- 
tion followed  another.  The  institution  is  beautifully 
situated,  and  from  the  midst  of  a  group  of  houses  arises 
an  imposing  church  edifice. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

DEACONESS  WORK  IN  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH 
OF  AMERICA. 

In  all  new  undertakings  of  God's  kingdom  the  Lord 
chooses  his  agents  to  incorporate  and  realize  the  funda- 
mental idea  of  the  movement;  and  so  it  was  with  the 
Deaconess  Work  in  America.  In  a  French  Huguenot 
family  by  the  name  of  Passavant,  who  had  left  their  old 
home  for  their  faith's  sake,  a  child  was  born  in  1821, 
who  received  the  name  of  William.  His  parents  were 
devout  and  practical  Christians,  and  it  gave  them  much 
joy  when  one  day  the  growing  boy  told  them  that  he 
would  like  to  go  to  school  and  become  a  preacher  of  the 
gospel.  His  parents  sent  him  to  a  college  at  Canons- 
burg.  After  he  was  graduated  here,  he  entered  the 
seminary  at  Gettysburg.  His  heart  was  full  of  the  love 
of  God,  and  during  his  course  of  his  studies  he  could  not 
refrain  from  missionary  work  among  the  inhabitants  of 
the  neighboring  mountains,  and  after  finishing  his  term 
he  accepted  a  call  as  colporteur  of  the  Pennslyvania  Bible 
Society.  His  first  pastorate  was  a  small  congregation 
in  Baltimore,  Md.  Here  he  labored  with  so  great  a  zeal 
that  the  little  mission  soon  became  the  center  of  numerous 
missionary  efforts;  but  his  real  field  of  labor  he  was  to 
find  finally  in  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

At  that  time  the  Evangelical  Alliance  was  founded, 
and  the  first  meeting  was  fixed  for  London.  Eev.  Wil- 
liam Passavant,  who  was  but  twenty-four  years  old,  had 
been  elected  a  delegate,  and,  with  great  expectations,  he 
began  his  journey  to  London.     Here  he  made  the  ae- 

249 


250 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


qiiaintance  of  representative  men  of  wisdom  and  experi- 
ence in  the  field  of  home  and  foreign  missions,  in  educa- 
tional work,  and  in  the  pastorate.  There  a  new  world 
opened  to  him,  and  he  received  incentives  for  his  whole 
future  life.  It  is  self-evident  that  a  meeting  conducted 
in  the  spirit  of  such  men  should  make  a  deep  impression 
upon  the  young  preacher.     One  day,  as  he  was  walking 

through  the  streets  of 
London,  he  Avas  over- 
taken by  a  shower  of 
rain.  He  passed 
through  a  gate  to  seek 
shelter,  and  suddenly 
found  himself  before 
a  building  which  a  de- 
vout Jew  had  erected 
in  memory  of  his  de- 
ceased wife.  It  bore 
the  inscription:  "Here 
shall  the  orphan  find 
refuge."  Surprised  and 
deeply  moved,  Passa- 
vant  entered,  and 
made  himself  ac- 
quainted with  the 
management  of  the  in- 
stitution. Before  he  left  the  place  he  had  formed  the 
resolution  of  establishing  a  similar  institution  in  America. 
By  returning  to  the  meeting-place  of  the  Alliance  on 
foot  he  saved  a  shilling,  and  this  he  put  by  as  the  first 
contribution  towards  the  realization  of  his  plans.  A  few 
weeks  later  he  arrived  in  Kaiserswerth,  and  there  saw 
with  astonishment  Avhat  the  Lord  had  done  through 
Fliedner.     The  Mother  House  at  that  time  already  num- 


Rev.  W.  a.  Passavant,  D.  D. 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  Lutheran  Church.     251 

bered  one  hundred  and  eight  deaconesses,  of  whom  sixty- 
two  were  employed  at  stations  outside  of  Kaiserswerth. 
A  Mother  House  had  been  established  in  Dresden,  and 
steps  were  being  taken  to  open  an  institution  in  London. 
Passavant  urgently  besought  Fliedner  for  deaconesses  for 
America,  and  his  request  w^as  granted.  He  handed 
Fliedner  the  funds  that  were  necessary  for  their  train- 
ing, and  received  from  him  the  promise  that  within  two 
years  he  would  send  the  first  deaconesses  to  America. 
But  Pastor  Fliedner  was  not  able  to  keep  his  promise. 
Li  1848  the  Revolution  broke  out  in  Germany,  and  al- 
though Passavant  had  rented  a  house  in  Pittsburg  and 
fitted  it  np  as  a  hospital,  he  was  obliged  to  wait  eight 
long  months  before  the  deaconesses  arrived.  Fliedner 
came  with  them  himself,  in  June,  1849,  and  the  dedica- 
tion of  the  new  hospital,  which  was  known  as  the  first 
Protestant  hospital  in  America,  now  took  place.  (See 
cut  of  this  hospital  next  page.) 

Pastor  Passavant  had  well  utilized  his  time  during 
this  waiting-spell;  for  at  this  time  a  number  of  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers  were  returning  from  the  Mexican  War 
to  their  homes.  Passavant  opened  his  hospital  to  them, 
and  in  the  absence  of  the  nurses,  who  had  not  yet  arrived, 
he  nursed  them  himself.  All  the  greater  was  his  joy 
when  he  finally  had  the  privilege  of  placing  the  manage- 
ment of  the  institution  into  skilled  and  experienced 
hands. 

The  hospital  was  dedicated  July  17,  1849.  Pastor 
Fliedner  was  present,  and  a  large  audience  had  gathered. 
Passavant  himself  wrote  about  it  as  follows: 

"A  great  multitude  had  come.  The  celebration  was 
opened  with  the  singing  of  the  English  hymn,  ^Before 
Jehovah's  awful  Throne.'  Pastor  Fliedner  made  an  ad- 
dress in   German,   in   which,   with   presuasive   words,   he 


^52 


History  of  the  Deacoxess  Movement. 


appealed  to  the  adult  women  and  young  women,  urging 
them  to  consecrate  themselves  to  the  Deaconess  Work. 
After  another  address,  the  German  part  of  the  audience 
joined  in  Luther's  majestic  old  hymn,  ^A  mighty  fortress 
is  our  God,'  and  the  formal  dedication  followed." 

In  May,  1850,  the  first  American  probationer,  Kath- 
arine Louise  Martens,  was  consecrated  a  deaconess,  and,  in 
order  to  strengthen  the  work,  Fliedner  sent  over  another 
deaconess. 

Passavant   was   indefatigably  busy  in   the   establish- 


The  First  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital,  in  the  United  States. 


ment  of  new  institutions.  Besides  the  Infirmary  in  Pitts- 
burg, he  founded  a  hospital  and  Deaconess  Home  in 
Milwaukee,  a  hospital  in  Jacksonville,  111.,  orphan 
asylums  in  Rochester  and  Mt.  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  and  a 
Boys'  Institute  at  Zelienople,  Pa.  The  incipient  work 
lacked  neither  friends  nor  money.  The  Pittsburg  Synod 
of  the  Lutheran  Church  passed  the  following  resolution 
the  next  year: 

^'Resolved,  That  our  best  wishes  and  fervent  prayers 
accompany  Brother  Passavant  in  his  philanthropic  labors, 
and  that  we  commend  the   Pittsburg  Infirmary  to   the 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  Lutheran  Church.     253 

sympathies,  prayers,  and  active  support  of  the  public  in 
general,  as  well  as  of  our  own  members/' 

Passavant  labored  incessantly  in  the  propagation  of 
his  work,  finally  resigning  the  pastorate  of  his  Church  in 
Pittsburg  (1855)  in  order  to  be  able  to  devote  himself 
exclusively  to  its  rapid  progress,  and  that  he  achieved 
success  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  from  this  beginning 
the  direct  or  indirect  origin  of  forty-five  benevolent  in- 
stitutions of  the  Lutheran  Church  may  be  clearly  traced. 
Passavant  made  extensive  travels,  funds  flowed  in  abun- 
dantly, the  numerous  institutions  were  being  filled  with 
inmates,  and  the  work  appeared  to  prosper  beyond  ex- 
pectations; but  in  one  direction  it  was  lacking,  and  on 
this  account  the  Deaconess  Cause,  so  auspiciously  begun, 
finally  failed.  There  was  a  lack  of  deaconesses.  Passa- 
vant published  appeal  after  appeal,  and  made  personal 
efforts  to  secure  deaconesses,  but  without  avail.  A  few 
girls  fresh  from  Germany  responded,  but  the  native-born 
young  women  kept  themselves  aloof  from  the  work.  The 
deaconesses  on  hand  were  abundant  in  their  labors,  and 
when  the  cholera  and  typhus  epidemics  broke  out  the 
public  had  opportunity  of  becoming  acquainted  with  the 
blessings  of  the  female  diaconate;  but  nevertheless  no 
applicants  presented  themselves.  In  consequence,  the 
Kaiserswerth  deaconesses  gradually  lost  courage  and  left. 
One  deaconess  who  superintended  the  Orphan  Asylum 
in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  remained  at  her  post  until  the  Lord 
called  her  to  receive  her  eternal  crown. 

In  this  connection  we  must  bear  grateful  tribute  to 
the  first  deaconess  who  was  consecrated  to  her  work  on 
American  soil — Katharine  Louise  Martens,  who  was  ad- 
mitted on  probation  in  the  year  1849,  and  consecrated 
in  1850.  She  afterwards  undertook  the  management  of 
the  hospital  in  Jacksonville,  111.,  founded  by  Passavant, 


254 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


and  here,  a  few  years  ago,  she  entered  into  rest,  having 
passed  her  seventieth  year.  She  was  a  true,  devout  dea- 
coness, who  devoted  herself  entirely  to  her  chosen  calling. 
The  question  has  been  frequently  asked  how  it  came 
that  Dr.  Passavant^s  plan  to  establish  a  Mother  House 
so  completely  failed.    Many  reasons  have  been  adduced; 

among  others, 
that  the  Amer- 
ican Church  at 
that  time  was  not 
ripe  for  its  accept- 
ance, and  that  the 
plan,  being  prem- 
ature, could  not 
but  end  in  disap- 
pointment. Eev. 
E.  W.  Passavant, 
later  rector  of  the 
Lutheran  Deacon- 
ess Home  in  Mil- 
waukee, a  worthy 
son  of  Dr.  Passa- 
vant, gives  the 
reasons  for  this 
failure,  which  we 
reproduce  here  in 
brief: 

The  movement 
having  in  view  the  opening  up  of  new  avenues  of  activity 
for  woman  was  still  in  its  infancy,  and  the  prejudices  of 
the  public  against  the  employment  of  women  in  public 
functions  were  still  very  great.  Nor  should  it  be  for- 
gotten that  Church  hospitals,  and,  in  fact,  charitable  in- 
stitutions of  all  kinds,  in  which  deaconesses  might  have 


Katharine  Louise  Martens, 
THE  First  American  Deaconess. 


Deaconess  Wokk  in  the  Lutheran  Church.     255 

served,  were  not  in  existence.  Dr.  Passavant's  under- 
taking was  entirely  new  to  the  Cliiirch,  and  it  was  five 
years  later  that  Dr.  Muehlenberg  undertook  to  found  a 
Protestant  (St.  Luke's)  Hospital  in  N'ew  York  City.  As 
there  had  hitherto  been  a  lack  of  such  spheres  of  Chris- 
tian activity,  it  was  no  wonder  that  there  should  now  be 


The  Passavant  Hospital,  in  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

a  lack  of  the  proper  workers.  The  Lutheran  Church  fifty 
years  ago  offered  the  female  sex  but  little  opportunity  for 
higher  education.  Dr.  Passavant  complains  of  this  sorry 
condition  of  things  in  his  periodical.  The  Missionary 
(1852),  as  follows:  "We  have  seven  theological  seminaries, 
four  classic  schools,  five  colleges  for  the  education  of  our 
young  men,  and  for  our  women  two  seminaries  on  paper: 
That  shows  what  little  importance  is  attached  to  the  edu- 
cation of  women.  Our  attitude  so  far  in  this  question  is 
neither   Scriptural   nor  just   to   the   female    sex    or   the 


256  HiSTOEY   OF  THE   DeACONESS   MOVEMENT. 

Church  of  Christ  itself."  There  was  certainly  great  igno- 
rance concerning  the  office  of  the  female  diaconate  at 
that  time,  and  the  laity  as  well  as  the  Synod  assumed 
a  waiting  attitude  in  the  matter.  The  newly-founded 
institution  had  many  difficulties  to  encounter,  and  one  of 
these,  which  could  not  but  have  been  a  menace  to  the 
young  work,  was  the  dependence  of  the  Mother  House 
on  the  hospital.  The  hospital  had  forty  beds,  was  over- 
crowded with  patients,  and  the  work  required  was  far 
beyond  the  capacity  of  a  few  deaconesses.  There  was  no 
time  left  for  the  proper  education  and  spiritual  culture 
nor  for  the  training  of  the  deaconesses  on  probation. 
Dr.  Passavant  was  tireless  in  the  establishment  of  new 
institutions;  he  was  editor  of  the  periodical.  The  Mission- 
ary; he  traveled  a  great  deal;  and  so  the  Mother  House 
was  unavoidably  left  without  the  necessary  spiritual  care. 
The  circumstance  ought  also  to  be  mentioned  that,  in 
those  years,  a  strong  tide  made  itself  felt  against  the 
Catholic  Church,  and  to  many  minds  Eomanism  was  a 
formidable  menace  to  our  American  institutions.  Anti- 
papal  demonstrations  frequently  led  to  bloodshed,  and 
the  popular  sentiment  against  everything  that  had  any 
resemblance  to  Roman  Catholic  institutions  was  very  pro- 
nounced; and  so  it  happened  that  deaconesses  were  often 
made  the  subjects  of  attack  in  the  daily  press,  and  they 
finally  found  themselves  obliged  to  dispense  with  their 
professional  costume. 

We  have  given  some  of  the  reasons  why  the  Deacon- 
ess Cause  would  not  tlirive  on  American  soil,  and  why 
the  young  enterprise  finally  collapsed  altogether.  But 
the  undertaking  was  not  on  that  account  in  vain,  and  the 
time  of  waiting  bore  its  good  fruit  in  the  end.  The  seed 
that  had  been  sown  in  American  soil  was  destined  sooner 
or  later  to  spring  up  and  bear  fruit. 


Deaconess  Wokk  in  the'Luthekan  Church.     257 


Mary  J.  Drexel  Deaconess  Home  in  Philadelphia. 

Thirty-five  years  after  the  beginning  made  by  Dr. 
Passavant  in  Pittsburg,  the  thread  was  resumed,  and  a 
Deaconess  Home  established  in  Philadelphia,  the  City  of 
Brotherly  Love.  This  time  the  effort  was  crowned  with 
better  success.  But  here  again  it  was  a  personality  which 
the  Lord  used  first  to  give  impetus  to  this  great  under- 
taking, and  after- 
wards  to  furnish  the 
means  for  carrying  it 
on.  This  divine  in- 
strument was  John  D. 
Lankenau,  a  success- 
ful merchant  in  Phil- 
adelphia. 

Born    in    Bremen, 
March   18,    1817,   the 
son  of  a  merchant,  he 
received  a  good  edu- 
cation  in    his    native 
city,  and  entered  into 
the   business   firm    of 
"Tiersch  &  Gerisher,'' 
Lnporters.      He    was 
sent    to    Philadelphia 
in  1836  on  business  matters,  and  in  five  years  succeeded  in 
elevating  himself  to  the  position  of  partner  in  the  firm. 
In  1846  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  his  future  father- 
in-law,  F.  M.  Drexel,  who  found  much  pleasure  in  the 
well-mannered,  enterprising,  young  man,  and   often  in- 
vited him  to   his   house.     Here   he  met  Mary  Johanna 
Drexel,  whom  he  married  in  1848.     After  F.  M.  Drexel 
met  his  death  in  a  railroad  accident  in  1863,  his  son-in- 
17 


John  D.  Lankenau. 


258         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

law  was  appointed  executor  of  his  will,  and,  like  the  de- 
ceased, was  intent  on  dispensing  the  worldly  possessions 
with  which  God  had  blessed  him  to  suffering  hu- 
manity. 

As  the  late  Mr.  Drexel  had  been  treasurer  of  the  hos- 
pital, Mr.  Lankenau  determined  also  to  be  a  patron  and 
friend  of  this  institution.  He  accepted  its  presidency  in 
1869.  He  has  filled  this  office  ever  since,  and  words  can 
not  express  what  this  modest  benefactor  has  since  accom- 
plished in  his  quiet  way  for  suffering  humanity.  The 
hospital  owes  to  him  its  present  prosperity  and  impor- 
tance. 

In  1877,  losing  by  death  his  only  son,  he  under- 
took, with  his  daughter  Eliza  Catharine,  whose  health 
had  been  much  impaired  by  the  shock  (the  mother  had 
died  in  1863)  an  extended  tour  of  Europe,  Egypt,  and 
Palestine.  On  their  return  they  sojourned  for  a  short 
time  at  the  Hotel  Fleming,  in  London,  and  here  the 
daughter  suggested  to  the  father  the  thought  of  estab- 
lishing, in  connection  with  the  German  Hospital  in  Phila- 
delphia, A  Home  for  the  Aged,  which  would  bear  the 
name  of  her  mother,-  Mary  J .  Drexel.  The  proposition  of 
his  daughter  was  kindly  entertained.  Arriving  home  in 
Philadelphia  during  the  fall  of  1878,  the  father  busied 
himself  with  the  daughter's  plan;  but  it  was  not  until 
after  her  death,  which  occurred  all  too  soon,  April  22, 
1882,  that  he  began  to  carry  it  out.  In  1886  he  conceived 
the  thought  of  connecting  a  Deaconess  Home  with  the 
Home  for  the  Aged. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  beautiful  "Mary  J.  Drexel 
Home"  was  laid  November  11,  1886,  and  December  6, 
1888,  the  imposing  building  was  dedicated.  A  finely- 
executed  portrait  of  the  daughter,  Elise  Catherine  Lanke- 
nau;  hangs  in  the  consultation-room  of  the  hospital,  and 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  Lutheran  Church.    259 

beneath  it  is  a  memorial  tablet  with  the  following  in- 
scription : 

Elise  Catharine  Lankenau 
whose  benevolent  sentiment  gave  the 
suggestion  for  the   founding   of   the 

Mary  J.  Drexel  Home 
Born,  September  29,  1854.        Died,  April  22, 1882. 

This  portrait  was  presented  to  the  German  Hospital,  March 
18, 1900,  by  her  father,  John  D.  Lankenau,  founder  of  the  Home, 
and  benefactor  of  the  Hospital. 


C5FERM,AN    (DEACONESS)   HOSPITAL,    PHILADELPHIA,   PA. 

Before  the  Deaconess  Home  was  erected,  Mr.  Lanka- 
nau  communicated  with  Christian  friends  for  the  purpose 
of  securing  deaconesses.  He  was  vigorously  supported  in 
this  undertaking  by  Charles  H.  Meyer,  German  consul  in 
Philadelphia,  and  Mr.  Kaschden,  German  consul  in  New 
York.  But  their  efforts  to  induce  the  Ivaiserswerth  in- 
stitution or  any  other  great  Mother  House  in  Germany 
to  relinquish  deaconesses  to  the  new  establishment  in 
Philadelphia,  were  fruitless.  Finally  they  prevailed  upon 
a  little  independent  Sisterhood  in  Iserlohn,  to  which  Rev. 


260 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


C.  Ninck,  of  Hamburg,  had  called  their  attention,  to 
leave  their  native  land  and  enter  the  Philadelphia  insti- 
tution. They  arrived  in  Philadelphia,  July  19,  1884. 
There  are  still  three  of  their  number  in  the  institution, 
and,  April  20,  1897,  they  together  celebrated  the  twenty- 


Mary  J.  Drexel  Deaconess  Home  in  Philadelphia. 

fifth  anniversary  of  their  diaconate.  As  soon  as  Mr. 
Lankenau  had  determined  to  build  a  Deaconess  Home, 
he  was  at  once  intent  upon  changing  the  German  Hos- 
pital to  a  Deaconess  Hospital,  and  in  1882  he  succeeded 
in  inducing  the  hospital  management  so  to  change  its 
charter  that  nothing  further  stood  in  the  way. 

The  German  Hospital  was  founded  in  1860  by  promi- 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  Lutheran  Church.     261 

nent  Germans,  and  the  present  magnificent  structure  at 
the  corner  of  Girard  and  Corinthian  Avenues  was  erected 
in  1895.  It  is  an  imposing  building  of  stone,  having  a 
great  four-storied  wing  and  being  provided  with  spacious 
wards  for  the  sick,  operating-rooms,  a  free  dispensary, 
and  the  Latest  improved  hospital  appointments.  The  sur- 
roundings are  charming,  and  in  the  rear  of  the  hospital, 
separated  therefrom  by  magnificent  grounds,  stands  the 
greatest  Deaconess  Home  of  America,  the  "Mary  J. 
Drexel  Home,"  which  cost  half  a  million  dollars.  Al- 
though both  institutions  are  under  separate  manage- 
ment, they  have  the  closest  relations  to  each  other,  and 
Mr.  Lankenau  until  his  death  was  president  of  both.  Like 
the  Deaconess  Home  with  its  seventy-five  members  and  its 
numerous  branches  and  stations,  the  hospital  is  one  of  the 
most  important  Deaconess  Hospitals  in  America. 

After  the  death  of  Marie  Krueger,  the  first  directress 
of  the  Mary  J.  Drexel  Deaconess  Home,  in  1887,  Wil- 
helmina  Dittmann  filled  the  position  temporarily  until 
the  management  secured  for  this  responsible  office  Dea- 
coness Wanda,  of  Oertzen.  She  arrived  from  Germany 
May  26,  1888,  and  was  installed  July  18th,  filling  the 
place  until  her  death,  November  14,  1897.  After  her 
demise  Deaconess  Emilie  Schwarz  became  the  directress, 
but  she  resigned  in  1901,  and  undertook  the  management 
of  the  hospital  in  Easton,  Pa.  Magdalene  Steinmann  be- 
came her  successor. 

The  rectorate  of  the  Home  was  first  given  to  Eev. 
A.  Cordes,  who  had  been  an  assistant  of  Rev.  C.  Ninck, 
deceased,  of  Hamburg.  On  the  day  of  its  dedication  he 
was  installed  into  office  by  Dr.  Spaeth.  He  retired  in 
July,  1892,  and  the  position  was  vacant  until  July,  1893, 
when  Eev.  Karl  Goedel  accepted  it,  and  was  installed  by 
Dr.  Spaeth  on  Sunday,  July  8th. 


262        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Eev.  Carl  Goedel  was  born  in  Zurich,  Switzerland, 
February  13,  1862.  He  studied  at  the  Universities  of 
Tuebingen,  Halle,  and  Bonn.  In  1888  he  supplied  a  pul- 
pit near  Solingen.  From  1889  to  1893  he  was  pastor  in 
Weinheim,  near  Kreuznach.  Here  he  received  a  call  to 
the  superintendeney  of  the  Mary  J.  Drexel  Deaconess 
Home  in  Philadelphia,  which  he  accepted.  In  order  to 
get  more  fully  acquainted  with  the  Deaconess  Caiis.e,  he 
visited  the  Mother  Houses  in  Kaiserswerth,  Neuendettel- 
sau,  Bielefeld,  and  Hanover.  He  arrived  in  Philadelphia, 
July  4,  1893. 

The  institution  was  now  brought  into  organic  connec- 
tion with  the  Lutheran  Church  through  the  General 
Council,  and  in  September,  1894,  taken  into  the  Kaisers- 
werth affiliation.  The  resident  pastor  of  the  institution 
has,  since  1890,  published  The  Deaconesses'  Friend,  which 
has  a  wide  circulation. 

The  following  branch  institutions  are  connected  with 
the  Mother  House:  Home  for  the  Aged,  with  forty  in- 
mates; Children's  Hospital,  which,  in  1901,  cared  for 
four  hundred  and  forty-one  children;  Girls'  School,  at- 
tended by  sixty  pupils;  Primary  School,  in  which  seventy 
children  were  gathered.  In  the  German  Hospital  3,427 
patients  were  treated;  in  the  Dispensary,  39,047  more; 
in  the  hospital  at  Easton,  Pa.,  423  house  patients,  and 
1,008  at  the  Dispensary;  in  the  St.  John's  Hospital,  at 
Allegheny  City,  Pa.,  in  1901,  860  patients.  Since  Sep- 
tember, 1893,  St.  John's  Home  for  the  Aged  has  been 
placed  under  the  management  of  two  deaconesses.  In 
the  Children's  Hospital  a  kindergarten  is  conducted  for 
convalescents.  Five  parish  deaconesses  are  employed  in 
as  many  Lutheran  Churches:  three  in  Philadelphia,  one 
in  New  York,  and  one  in  Brooklyn.  They  also  conduct 
four  kindergartens. 


264        HrsTORY  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

The  Deaconess  Mother  House  and  Hospital  in 
Milwaukee. 

As  early  as  18G3  Dr.  W.  A.  Passavant  opened  the  hos- 
pital which^  thirty  years  later,  was  to  be  made  a  Deaconess 
Hospital.  The  Mother  House  was  established  in  Septem- 
ber, 1891,  when  the  first  three  deaconesses  were  conse- 
crated. One  of  these  had  been  trained  at  Kaiserswerth, 
and  the  other  at  Neuendettelsan.  Deaconess  Martha 
Gensicke  was  elected  directress,  and  the  Philadelphia 
Home  came  to  the  assistance  of  the  young  institution  by 
supplying  it  for  a  brief  time  with  a  Mistress  of  Proba- 
tioners. 

Rev.  J.  F.  Ohl,  of  Quakertown,  Pa.,  was  ap- 
pointed rector,  and  for  seven  years  conducted  this  office 
with  great  wisdom  and  fidelity.  His  successor  was  Eev. 
E.  W.  Passavant,  son  of  the  founder  of  the  institution, 
who  began  his  duties  December  31,  1900,  but  died  July  3, 
1901,  of  apoplexy.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that,  fifty 
years  after  the  opening  of  the  first  Deaconess  Home  and 
the  arrival  of  the  first  deaconesses  in  America,  the  son  of 
the  honored  pioneer  of  this  movement  should  have  under- 
taken the  management  of  one  of  these  institutions.  The 
Mother  House  in  Milwaukee  is  endeavoring  to  emulate 
the  best  German  models  without  copying  them  after  an 
abject  fashion.  Both  English  and  German  are  used  alter- 
nately in  the  instruction  and  divine  services.  The  insti- 
tution has  at  present  twenty-six  deaconesses,  of  whom 
fifteen  are  consecrated.  The  course  of  instruction  em- 
braces all  branches  of  subjects  which  are  generally  taught 
in  a  Mother  House.  We  append  a  picture  of  the  mag- 
nificent establishment.  It  is  built  on  an  elevation,  in  a 
beautiful  part  of  the  city.  The  hospital  lies  back  of  the 
Deaconess  Home,  and  the  whole  makes  an  imposing  ap- 


266        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

pearance.     Tlie  following  fields   of  work  are   connected 
with  the  institution : 

Milwaukee  Hospital,  with  an  average  of  fourteen 
nurse-deaconesses.  During  the  past  year  about  six  hun- 
dred patients  were  treated,  and  the  income  amounted  to 
$20,000. 

Passavant  Hospital  in  Pittsburg,  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Deaconess  Katharine  Forster,  where,  in  addition, 
four  deaconesses  are  employed.  Number  of  patients  one 
hundred  and  fifty,  and  receipts  $6,000  per  annum. 

Passavant  Hospital  in  Jacksonville,  Hi.,  where  three 
deaconesses  are  at  work,  nursing  two  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-five patients  annually,  and  having  annual  receipts 
of  $7,000. 

Orphan  Asylum  and  Agricultural  School  at  Zelienople, 
Pa.,  under  the  management  of  Eev.  J.  A.  Kribbs,  with  an 
attendance  last  year  of  eighty-nine  children.  The  aver- 
age annual  receipts  of  the  Orphan  Asylum  are  $6,500. 

Passavant  Memorial  Home  for  Epileptics  in  Rochester, 
under  the  management  of  Deaconess  Caroline  Dentzer, 
where  four  deaconesses  are  employed.  In  the  first  four 
years  of  its  existence  the  Home  has  domiciled  fifty-one 
epileptics,  and  last  year  the  total  number  was  thirty.  The 
annual  receipts  are  $5,000. 

Lutheran  Deaconess  Home  and  Training-School^ 
Baltimore,  Md. 

This  institution  was  opened  in  October,  1895.  It  has 
fourteen  consecrated  deaconesses  and  fifteen  probationers. 
As  early  as  1885  the  General  Synod  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  draft  a  plan  for  a  Deaconess  Home  and  go 
over  the  matter  in  detail.  This  committee,  two  years 
later,  presented  to  the  Synod  definite  plans,  and  in  1891 
its  incorporation  as  "Board  of  Deaconesses  of  the  General 


»EAC0XESS  Work  ix  the  Lutheran  Church.     267 

Synod"  was  decided  upon.  The  Board  at  once  sent  some 
deaconesses  to  Germany  to  be  trained,  and  in  1895  the 
institution  was  opened  in  a  rented  house  in  Baltimore. 
The  rooms  were  furnished  by  interested  friends  and 
Church  societies.  When  the  accommodations  were  no 
longer  suflficient,  the  Board  rented  the  house  adjoining, 
and  when  both  houses  were  inadequate  to  the  demands, 
they  acquired  by  purchase  the  residence  of  the  celebrated 
Chief-Justice  E.  B.  Taney,  at  a  cost  of  $26,350.  It  is  a 
large  piece  of  property  in  a  beautiful  location,  accessible 
by  the  street-car  lines  from  all  parts  of  the  city,  and  the 
intention  is  to  erect  thereon,  according  to  needs  and 
means,  the  necessary  buildings,  including  a  spacious  and 
modernly  appointed  hospital,  a  Deaconess  Home,  a  school- 
house  for  kindergarten  teachers,  an  industrial  school, 
chapel,  administration  building,  parsonage,  etc.  The  in- 
stitution, being  under  the  supervision  of  the  General 
Synod,  is  deprived  of  any  local  character,  and  its  pur- 
pose is  to  serve  the  interests  of  the  whole  Synod.  The 
latter  voted  the  institution  an  annual  support  of  $6,000. 
Oustide  of  the  institutions  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  this  is  the  only  Deaconess  Home  in  America  that 
is  incorporated  into  the  Church  organism  and  is  under  its 
immediate  direction. 

The  first  deaconesses  were  trained  in  Kaiserswerth 
and  in  Philadelphia,  and  the  first  directress  was  Auguste 
V.  Schaeffer,  who  was  succeeded  by  Jenny  Christ.  The 
course  of  study  embraces  the  following  branches:  Bible 
Exposition,  Christian  Doctrine,  Christian  Worship,  Lu- 
theranistics.  Church  History,  Evidences,  Catechetics,  the 
Diaconate,  German  and  English  Grammar,  Principles  and 
Method,  Nursing  and  Household  Economy,  Hygiene, 
Anatomy,  and  Materia  Medica.  As  a  rule,  the  principles 
and  methods  of  the  Kaiserswerth  institution  are  followed, 


268        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

with  the  necessary  adaptations  required  by  the  religious 
and  social  conditions  of  the  American  communities.  The 
Course  of  Study  is  arranged  to  fit  the  deaconesses  to  do 
efficiently  all  such  work  in  a  congregation  and  community 
as  may  properly  be  assigned  by  a  Christian  pastor  to  a 
Christian  woman  educated  and  set  apart  for  a  service  and 
ministry  of  help  and  mercy.  It  will  require  two  and  a 
half  years. 

Deaconesses  are  classified  as  teaching,  nursing,  and 
parish  deaconesses.  These  terms,-  in  a  very  general  way 
only,  indicate  the  very  varied  lines  of  work  followed  by 
Christian  deaconesses.  It  is  the  purpose  of  the  Mother 
House  and  Training-school  to  prepare  women  especially 
for  work  as  parish  deaconesses.  They  will  be  sent  out 
by  the  institution  upon  request,  and  work  under  the  im- 
mediate direction  of  the  pastors  and  Churches  in  com- 
munities where  the  General  Synod  is  represented. 

Two  classes  of  women  who  do  not  intend  to  become 
members  of  the  Mother  House  can  receive  the  training 
regularly  given  to  candidates  and  probationers.  These 
classes  are:  1.  Such  as  are  sent  by  congregations  to  be 
trained  for  Deaconess  Work;  and,  2.  Such  as  intend  to 
become  foreign  missionaries  and  are  sent  by  the  Foreign 
Board.  In  either  case  the  special  student  would  receive 
the  same  training  and  conform  to  the  same  rules  as  the 
candidates  and  probationers.  The  charge  is  $125  per 
year,  the  cost  of  clothing,  and  the  usual  allowance.  Rev. 
Frank  P.  Manhart,  D.  D.,  is  rector  of  the  institution. 

Immanuel  Deaconess  Institute^  Omaha^  Neb. 

Eev.  E.  A.  Fogelstroem,  present  rector  of  the  institu- 
tion, sent  a  Sister  in  1887  to  Philadelphia  for  the  purpose 
of  training  her  for  her  vocation.  She  was  followed  the 
next  year  by  four  more  Sisters.     Three  of  these  returned 


Deaconess  Woek  in  the  Lutheran  Church.     269 


to  Omaha  in  June,  1890.  After  a  two  years'  service 
Sister  Bathilde  was  sent  to  Europe,  to  spend  a  year  for 
further  training  in  the  Deaconess  Institute  at  Stockholm. 
She  also  made  herself  acquainted  with  the  management 
of  prominent  Mother  Houses  in  Europe,  and  returned  to 
Omaha  in  the  fall  of  1890. 

Eev.  E.   A.  Fogelstroem  had  meanwhile  labored  in- 
cessantly, and  with  God's  help  had  succeeded  in  building 


Immanuel  (Swedish)  Deaconess  Institute,  Omaha,  Neb. 

a  hospital  for  the  incipient  work.  It  received  the  name 
of  Immanuel  Hospital,  and  at  the  close  of  the  year  1890 
it  was  dedicated.  The  undertaking  thus  far  has  cost 
$30,000.  The  first  patient,  a  poor  Swede  from  the  West, 
was  received  December  20,  1890.  The  very  same  year  a 
Deaconess  Home  was  erected  opposite  the  hospital.  The 
whole  represents  a  value  of  $50,000;  but  the  property 
has  an  incumbrance  of  $40,000,  which,  however,  is  amply 
covered  by  legacies.  The  annual  receipts  in  1900  were 
$21,546,  and  the  expenditures  $20,828.77. 


270        History  or  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

On  occasion  of  the  first  anniversary,  April  5,  1891, 
the  first  deaconess,  Bathiicle,  was  consecrated.  The  com- 
munity has  grown  to  twenty-eight,  of  whom  nine  are  con- 
secrated deaconesses  and  nineteen  probationers.  Outside 
of  the  Mother  House  the  deaconesses  are  active  at  the  fol- 
lowing stations :  ten  deaconesses  at  the  Immanuel  Orphan 
Asylum,  Omaha;  four  deaconesses  in  the  Bethesda  Hos- 
pital, Minneapolis,  Minn. ;  one  deaconess  in  parish  work 
at  Duluth ;  two  in  a  similar  capacity  at  Sioux  City ;  also 
a  deaconess  in  each  one  of  the  following  cities  as  parish 
workers :  Chicago,  111.,  Omaha,  Neb.,  and  Ogden,  Utah. 

Norwegian  Lutheran  Deaconess  Institute  and  Hos- 
pital^ Brooklyn^  N.  Y. 

The  history  of  the  origin  of  this  institution  is  simple, 
but  very  wonderful.  Mrs.  Anna  Boers,  wife  of  the  Nor- 
wegian General  Consul  in  New  York,  who  had  made  her- 
self familiar  with  the  distress  of  the  Norwegian  poor  in 
the  Metropolitan  City,  conferred  with  Eev.  Mortenson, 
at  that  time  pastor  of  the  Norwegian  Mariners'  Church  in 
Brooklyn,  as  to  what  could  be  done  for  their  relief.  The 
result  was  that  a  call  was  extended  to  Elizabeth  Fedde, 
a  deaconess  of  Norway,  who  arrived  in  New  York,  April, 
1883.  Hereupon  was  established  the  Norwegian  Dea- 
coness Institute  of  Brooklyn,  and  a  rented  dwelling  was 
opened  in  William  Street.  The  building  of  a  hospital 
was  soon  seen  to  be  an  unavoidable  necessity,  and  on 
March  1,  1885,  the  Board  of  Managers  rented  a  larger 
house,  which  thereafter  served  the  purpose  of  Deacon- 
ess Institute  and  Hospital.  In  1889  the  Board  erected 
their  own  hospital,  and  the  foundress  of  the  institution, 
Mrs.  Anna  Boers,  received  from  an  unknown  friend  a 
gift  of  $100^000  for  its  maintenance^  which  was  put  by 


Deaconess  Work  in  the  Lutheran  Church.     271 


as  a  permanent  fund.  Interest  on  this  sum  is  paid  out 
to  the  institution  quarterly.  The  number  of  deaconesses 
grew,  and  several  came  to  them  across  the  waters  from 
Christiansen,  Norway.  Long  ago  the  building  proved  too 
small;  and,  consequently,  a  site  for  the  hospital  was  pur- 
chased. Fifteen  thousand  dollars  are  already  in  the 
building  fund. 
As  soon  as 
possible  a 
modernly  ap- 
pointed hos- 
pital will  b  e 
erected.  Be- 
sides the  large 
p  e  r  m.  a  n  e  n  t 
fund  already 
mentioned, 
this  institu- 
tion has  prop- 
e  r  t  y  free  of 
debt   to   the 

value  of  $50,000.  Receipts  last  year,  including  contri- 
butions to  the  building  fund,  were  $37,60-1;  expenditures, 
$15,443.  The  rector  of  the  institution  is  Eev.  E.  C. 
Tollfsen,  and  Mathilde  Madland  is  the  directress.  In- 
cluding probationers,  it  has  twelve  deaconesses. 

Norwegian  Lutheran  Deaconess  Home^  Minne- 
apolis, Minn. 

The  beginnings  of  this  institution  date  back  to  1888, 
and  two  years  later  it  had  twelve  deaconesses,  owned  its 
own  Home,  and  $2,000  in  a  building  fund  for  a  larger 
hospital.     Above  all  does  the  community  of  deaconesseg 


Norwegian  Deaconess  Hospital, 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


272  HiSTOKY   OF   THE   DeACONESS   MOVEMENT. 

enjoy  a  healthy  growth.  There  are  at  present  in  the 
house  ten  deaconesses,  twenty-two  probationers,  and  four- 
teen in  the  preparatory  course.  The  deaconesses  serve 
in  the  hospitals  at  Grand  Forks,  N.  D.;  Hillsboro,  N".  D.; 
Sioux  City,  and  in  a  Children's  Home  at  Beloit,  Iowa. 

Passavaxt  Memorial  Hospital,  Chicago. 

This  hospital  was  opened  as  early  as  1865  by  Dr. 
W.  A.  Passavant.  Its  primary  object  was  to  serve  poor 
emigrants.  The  institution  from  the  beginning  had  to 
contend  with  financial  difficulties,  and  when  it  was  con- 
templated to  purchase  a  house  for  $30,000  the  great  Chi- 
cago fire  swept  everything  away,  and  the  work  of  the  hos- 
pital was  interrupted  for  fourteen  years.  Finally  the 
present  building  was  erected  and  opened  in  1885. 

The  plan  of  making  the  institution  a  Deaconess  Home 
was  entertained  from  the  beginning,  but  up  to  the  latest 
this  object  could  not  be  carried  out.  A  Training-school 
for  Nurses  was  connected  with  it  in  October,  1898,  and  a 
request  sent  to  the  Milwaukee  Mother  House  to  affiliate 
the  institution,  w^hich  w^as  not  granted.  Finally  an  at- 
tempt to  change  the  institution  to  a  Deaconess  Hospital 
was  successful;  but  the  number  of  deaconesses  is  small. 

Lutheran  Diaconate  Conference. 

In  1896  the  Lutheran  Mother  Houses  of  America  es- 
tablished a  Deaconess  Conference.  The  German,  English, 
Swedish,  and  Norwegian  Homes  of  this  denomination, 
seven  in  number,  belong  to  this  Conference.  The  English 
language  is  principally  used  at  the  meetings,  and  their 
publications  are  also  in  English.  Otherwise  the  Confer- 
ence is  modeled  after  the  Kaiserswerth  General  Confer- 
ence, and  its  several  representatives  here  belong  to  it. 


CHAPTEE  IX. 

DEACONESS  HOMES  IN  VARIOUS  PROTESTANT 
CHURCHES  IN  AMERICA. 

1.  Interdenominational  Homes. 

The  Board  of  Managers  of  these  institutions  is  com- 
posed of  members  of  different  Church  denominations.  In 
the  acceptation  of  deaconesses,  the  question  is  not  asl^ed 
to  what  Church  she  belongs,  but  whether  she  is  fitted  for 
the  duties  of  her  calling. 

The  German  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital^ 
Cincinnati. 

This  institution  is  known  as  the  oldest  Interdenomi- 
national Deaconess  Home  in  the  United  States.  In  the 
spring  of  1888  a  number  of  pastors  of  different  denomina- 
tions of  Cincinnati  and  vicinity  met  for  conference  in  the 
Evangelical  Zion's  Church,  and  on  June  lith  they  estab- 
lished the  "Evangelical  Society  for  Deaconess  Work.^^  The 
society  was  afterwards  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the 
State  of  Ohio  as  "The  Evangelical  Protestant  Society  for 
Deaconess  Work  and  the  Care  of  the  Sick."  Such  was 
the  modest  beginning  of  the  Cincinnati  institution. 

On  July  17,  1888,  a  German  mass-meeting  was  held 
in  the  centrally-located  St.  Peter's  Church.  The  object 
of  the  meeting  was  explained  by  the  ministers  present, 
who  made  addresses.  Eifty-one  persons  declared  them- 
selves ready  to  join  the  society.  The  members  adopted 
at  once  the  projected  constitution,  and  elected  the  officers. 
A  Board  of  Managers,  composed  of  fifteen  men,  was  also 
elected.  Two  deaconesses  of  the  Eed  Cross,  who  had 
18  273 


Deacoxess  Homes  in  Protestant  Churches.    275 

been  trained  in  Germany,  were  engaged  as  nurses.  The 
society  had  all  the  elements  of  a  vigorous  growth,  and 
after  six  months  numbered  five  hundred  and  sixty-six 
members.  A  cornmodious  and  favorably-located  house  (533 
East  Liberty  Street)  was  rented,  and  afterwards,  with  the 
adjacent  property,  purchased.  The  two  houses  were  con- 
nected and  fitted  up  for  hospital  purposes.  The  institu- 
tion has  room  for  twenty  deaconesses  and  twenty-two  pa- 
tients. The  first  two  deaconesses  arrived  October  10,  1888, 
and  they  were  solemnly  consecrated  to  their  office  in  the 
presence  of  a  great  festal  gathering,  November  4th. 
Seven  probationers  were  received  during  the  following  six 
months,  and  to-day  the  institution  numbers  twenty-one 
deaconesses,  including  those  on  probation. 

The  buildings  of  the  institution  have  long  since  be- 
come too  small.  The  Board  of  Managers  accordingly  pur- 
chased a  large  site  on  Clifton  Avenue,  opposite  the  most 
beautiful  of  the  city's  parks,  Burnet  Woods,  where  a  new 
structure,  with  all  modern  improvements,  has  been  erected 
at  a  cost  of  $80,000.  The  corner-stone  w^as  laid  March 
16,  1902,  and  the  building  was  dedicated  in  January,  1903. 
A  spacious  Deaconess  Home  is  annexed  to  the  hospital. 
The  former  building  on  Liberty  Street  has  been  converted 
into  a  Home  for  the  Aged. 

The  direction  of  the  institution  for  the  first  years  was 
subject  to  many  changes.  The  first  directress,  Anna 
Kypke,  was  at  the  head  of  the  institution  for  two  years. 
Then  Eev.  J.  J.  Meyer  was  called  as  rector,  presiding 
over  the  institution  from  January  1,  1891,  to  July  1,  1892. 
After  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  pastorate,  Deaconess  Ida 
Tobschall  was  elected  directress  by  the  Board  of  Managers. 
It  was  at  her  instance  that  a  Deaconess  Home  was  estab- 
lished in  Buffalo,  her  native  city;  and  after  many  years 
of  service  in  Cincinnati  she  undertook  the  management 


:76 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement, 


of   the    Buffalo   institution.      Deaconess    Marie    Bangerter 
succeeded   her.      She   had    rfcci\('d   her   training-  as   dea- 


Re^t.  H.  W.  Hortsoh. 


coness  in  Germany,  and  she  still  faithfully  and  carefully 
presides  over  the  Cincinnati  institution.  Rev.  Kohlmann 
served  as  its  rector  from  June,  1894,  to  June,  1895,  and 


Deaconess  Homes  in  Protestant  Churches.    277 

H.  W.  Tuecliter  was  its  business  manager  from  September 
1,  1898,  till  July,  1901.  The  present  rector,  Kev.  H.  W. 
Hortsch,  former!}^  pastor  of  the  First  German  Presbyterian 
Church,  Cincinnati,  began  his  duties  August  15,  1901.  He 
is  a  man  well  equipped  for  the  place,  and  had  done  good 
service  for  the  institution  as  corresponding  secretary. 
From  the  beginning  he  has  been  the  recording  secretary  of 
"The  Protestant  Diaconate  Conference"  and  editor  of  the 
"The  American  Friend  of  the  Sick  and  the  Poor."  A 
Woman^s  Auxiliary  Committee  was  of  practical  service  in 
the  beginning,  and  also  subsequently,  in  directing  the 
economy  of  the  household.  This  committee  was  changed 
in  1890  into  a  "Woman's  and  Young  Woman's  Society 
for  the  Deaconess  Work,"  and  as  such  has  contributed  a 
great  deal  to  the  outward  growth  of  the  institution. 

Few  institutions  in  the  United  States  have  accom- 
plished as  much  in  the  founding  of  similar  organizations 
as  this  Home.  Those  in  Dayton,  Buffalo,  and  Indianapolis 
received  from  it  their  first  impulse  and  their  first  deacon- 
esses. Two-thirds  of  the  necessary  funds  have  already 
been  secured  for  the  new  building,  and  the  Board  of  Man- 
agers hope  to  secure  the  rest  within  a  short  time. 

The  various  departments  of  the  institution  are  as  fol- 
lows: The  Hospital  in  connection  with  the  Mother  House, 
an  Old  People's  Home ;  a  Xurse-training  School ;  a  Branch 
Hospital,  in  which  one  hundred  patients  annually  receive 
attention ;  a  Children's  Boarding-house ;  and  a  School  for 
Midwives. 

Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital,  Dayton,  0. 

The  first  incentive  for  the  building  of  this  Home  was 
given  the  founder,  Eev.  C.  Mueller,  on  a  European  tour. 
He  became  acquainted  on  this  occasion  with  men  familiar 


278        History  of  the  Deacoxess  Movement. 

with  the  work,  and  the  blessed  usefulness  of  the  deacon- 
esses awakened  in  him  the  resolution  to  establish,  if  pos- 
sible, a  similar  institution  in  Dayton,  where  he  had  charge 
of  a  large  congregation.  But  while  he  often  laid  his 
wishes  before  his  ministerial  associates  in  Dayton,  he  did 
not  meet  with  the  desired  encouragement.  It  was  not 
until  1890  that,  at  the  fiftieth  anniversary  (Golden  Jubi- 
lee) of  his  congregation,  he  was  enabled  to  initiate  into 
their  work  two  deaconesses,  who  meanwhile  had  been  sent 
to  him  from  the  Home  in  Cincinnati.  Their  service  met 
with  great  favor,  not  only  in  the  congregation,  but  in 
wider  circles;  for  up  to  that  time  there  Avas  no  Protestant 
Home  for  the  sick  in  Dayton,  and  the  only  institution 
of  the  kind  was  a  large  Catholic  hospital.  On  August 
21st  of  the  same  year  six  German  preachers  of  different 
denominations  established  themselves  as  a  Deaconess  So- 
ciety. In  a  subsequent  mass-meeting,  held  September  1st, 
at  which  the  Deaconess  Work  was  elucidated  in  several 
addresses,  more  than  three  hundred  became  members  of 
the  society.  It  was  now  proposed  to  establish  a  Protestant 
hos]3ital,  as  soon  as  the  society  numbered  eight  hundred 
members.  In  a  few  weeks  this  number  was  reached,  and 
the  carrying  out  of  the  plan  was  decided  upon.  As  the 
institution  in  Cincinnati  could  not  spare  any  more  dea- 
conesses, and  all  requests  from  other  Mother  Houses  were 
of  no  avail,  Eev.  Mueller  decided  to  go  to  Germany  to 
procure  deaconesses  for  his  work.  After  being  refused 
at  several  places,  he  finally  found  Rev.  von  Bodelschwingh, 
in  Bielefeld,  who  promised  to  let  him  have  two  deacon- 
esses. They  arrived  in  Dayton,  October  10th,  and  on  the 
19th  the  little  Home  was  opened  with  two  deaconesses 
and  four  probationers. 

The  institution  had  a  rapid  growth,  and,  under  the 
faithful  and  vigilant  management  of  the  directress,  Anna 


Deaconess  Homes  in  Protestant  Churches.     27^ 

von  Dilfurth,  the  work  made  such  rapid  progress  that  the 
erection  of  a  new  hospital  was  soon  projected.  A  beau- 
tiful site  on  a  hill  was  selected  and  purchased.  The  pa- 
troness of  the  work  paid  for  it,  and  donated  it  to  the 
Deaconess  Society.  The .  purchase  price  was  $5,000.  A 
gentleman  bountifully  blessed  with  this  world's  goods  of- 
fered to  donate  $10,000  to  the  institution,  provided  a  hos- 
pital should  be  erected  at  a  cost  of  $100,000.  His  propo- 
sition was  accepted,  and  a  large  hospital  was  built,  which, 
with  the  appointments  and  building  site,  co,st  $150,000. 
It  was  dedicated  and  given  over  to  its  purpose  October 
14,  189-1.  The  Deaconess  Home  continued  until  1898, 
when  it  was  dissolved,  and  the  institution  at  present  is  only 
a  hospital,  in  which  professional  nurses  are  employed. 

Why  did  a  work,  which  began  so  auspiciously  and 
made  such  rapid  progress,  fail,  in  spite  of  the  great  num- 
ber of  deaconesses?  We  will  give  the  reasons  briefly.  The 
first  danger  lay  in  the  rapid  growth  of  the  institution. 
Thereby  elements  were  received  into  the  community  which 
afterwards  had  to  be  eliminated  or  removed,  a  course  that 
is  always  injurious  to  its  inner  life.  Again,  the  deacon- 
esses had  so  much  work  that  they  found  but  little,  if  any, 
time  at  all  for  their  theoretical  training  and  spiritual  edi- 
fication. In  the  overcrowding  of  work  the  superintendent, 
too,  could  not  pay  sufficient  attention  to  his  duties,  so  that, 
in  this  respect,  the  institution  also  suffered.  A  leading 
mistake  was  made  when  affluent  men  were  received  into 
the  Directory  only  because  their  financial  assistance  was 
deemed  necessary.  But  they  had  no  understanding  of  the 
Deaconess  Cause.  They  only  had  a  mind  for  a  great  Prot- 
estant hospital  with  professional  nurses.  Superintendent 
Mueller  now  sought  to  separate  the  Deaconess  Institution 
from  the  hospital ;  but  when  he  saw  this  was  impossible, 
he  determined,  to  the  great  regret  of  the  Board  and  the 


280         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

public,  to  leave  altogether.  Succeeding  him,  Rev.  B.  Stern 
was  active  as  superintendent,  but  after  a  trial  of  nine 
months  he  also  retired.  And  thus  the  Deaconess  Work 
collapsed  in  Dayton.  The  hospital  continues,  with  a  train- 
inof-school  for  nurses. 


*•& 


Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital,  Evansville,  Ind. 

The  Protestant  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  of 
Evansville,  Ind.,  was  founded  in  1892.  Foremost  among 
the  promoters  were  the  pastors,  G.  A.  Schmidt,  of  the 
Evangelical  St.  Lucas  Church;  George  Schwinn,  of  the 
First  German  ]\rethodist  Church;  and  E.  Vernly,  of  the 
First  Evangelical  Reformed  Church.  These  gentlemen 
took  the  initiative  in  the  work,  and  were  very  ably  as- 
sisted by  other  pastors  of  the  different  Churches  of  the 
city.  A  constitution  was  adopted,  and  the  Protestant  Dea- 
coness Association  was  organized  on  the  22d  of  February, 
1892.  The  first  officers  of  the  association  were :  Rev.  G.  A. 
Schmidt,  president;  Rev.  George  Schwinn,  vice-president; 
Rev.  E.  Vernly,  secretary;  and  John  B.  Ortmeier,  treas- 
urer. After  some  delay  two  deaconesses  of  the  Bethesda 
Hospital,  Chicago,  111.,  were  assigned  to  the  work.  Their 
labors  were  restricted  to  private  nursing.  The  association 
had  not  yet  entered  upon  regular  hospital  work. 

In  June,  1893,  a  large  house,  located  on  Mary,  Iowa, 
and  Edgar  Streets,  including  one  half-block  of  land,  was 
bought  for  the  sum  of  $8,000.  The  Board  of  Trustees 
failing  to  get  additional  help  in  1894,  finally  concluded 
to  make  the  institution  a  station  of  the  Deaconess  Home 
in  Dayton,  0.  In  1895  the  Board  decided  to  carry  on  the 
work  independent  of  any  other  Deaconess  Home. 

In  1897  the  work  of  building  the  new  hospital  was 
begun.  The  corner-stone  was  laid  on  the  17th  of  October, 
1897.  and  in  1899  the  new  hospital  was  dedicated  to  the 


Deaconess  Homes  in  Protestant  Churches.    281 

service  of  suffering  humanity.  Tlie  building  cost  $50,000, 
without  the  internal  furnishings.  These  were  supplied 
by  the  Ladies'  Deaconess  Aid  Society,  the  Young  Ladies' 
Deaconess  Aid  Society,  the  different  Churches  and  Lodges 


Protestant  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital 
IN  Evansville,  Ind. 

and  other  charitable  organizations  in  the  city.  The  Ladies' 
Aid  Society  especially  has  been  a  great  help  to  the  insti- 
tution. 

The  hospital  is  a  three-story  brick  building,  and  has 
three  operating-rooms — one  for  emergency,  one  for  minor 


282        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

surgery,  and  one  for  abdominal  and  aseptic  cases.  Each  of 
these  rooms  is  supplied  with  hot  and  cold  sterilized  water. 
Lighting  is  good,  so  that  operations  can  be  performed  with 
the  same  degree  of  safety  night  or  clay.  The  hospital  has 
a  capacity  of  seventy-five  beds  in  the  four  wards,  and 
twenty-five  private  rooms.  It  has  steam  heat  throughout 
the  building,  and  good  ventilation  in  each  room,  ward,  and 
hall.  The  then  president  of  the  institution,  Eev.  J.  F. 
Severinghaus,  of  the  First  German  Methodist  Church, 
made  himself  specially  meritorious  in  the  erection  of  the 
hospital.  The  work  was  supported  by  the  citizens  in  the 
most  laudable  manner,  so  that  the  debt,  still  on  the  build- 
ing, in  no  way  interferes  with  its  progress.  Without  a 
permanent  fund,  the  hospital  is  almost  self-supporting, 
and  a  laudable  emulation  is  being  manifested  by  the  Prot- 
estant Churches  of  the  city. 

Instruction  and  conversation  are  carried  on  in  the  in- 
stitution in  the  English  language.  The  course  of  studies 
embraces  all  branches  that  are  usually  taught  in  Deaconess 
Homes,  and  extends  over  a  period  of  three  years. 

The  work  has  grown  to  great  dimensions,  compared  with 
the  very  modest  beginning  of  ten  years  ago.  In  1902, 
three  hundred  and  ninety-two  patients  were  treated  in 
the  hospital.  .One  hundred  and  thirty-six  operations  were 
performed  and  fifty-four  patients  were  nursed  in  their 
homes  by  deaconesses  during  five  hundred  and  eighty-two 
days.  The  receipts  of  the  hospital  were  $8,449.53.  The 
work  is  done  by  fourteen  deaconesses,  four  of  whom  are 
consecrated.  The  management  of  the  Deaconess  Home  and 
Hospital  is  in  the  hands  of  a  Board  of  Trustees,  consist- 
ing of  eighteen  members.  Twelve  of  these  are  chosen  by 
the  Deaconess  Association  to  serve  a  term  of  two  years, 
and  six  are  appointed  by  the  twelve  to  serve  a  term  of  one 
year.    The  superintendent  is  elected  by  the  Board  of  Man- 


Deaconess  Homes  in  Protestant  Churches.    283 

agers  at  the  first  session  of  each  new  year,  but  the  directors 
are  elected  for  an  indefinite  time. 

Protestant  Deaconess  Home,  Indianapolis  Ind. 

The  Protestant  Deaconess  Society  in  the  Hoosier  Cap- 
ital is  the  result  of  a  lecture  which  Eev.  C.  Mueller,  at 
that  time  superintendent  of  the  Deaconess  Home  in  Day- 
ton, 0.,  gave,  October  22,  1894,  in  Indianapolis,  at  the 
invitation  of  the  German  Protestant  Pastoral  Conference. 
On  November  ITth  of  the  same  year  each  pastor  devoted 
a  special  sermon  to  the  subject  before  his  congregation. 
The  matter  being  well  received,  the  Pastoral  Conference 
appointed  a  committee  of  five  to  draft  a  constitution.  At 
a  largely-attended  meeting,  December  ITth,  a  constitu- 
tion was  adopted.  From  that  time  the  work  developed 
in  a  normal  and  pleasurable  way.  A  suitable  piece  of 
ground,  with  house,  costing  $21,000,  was  purchased  at 
a  prominent  corner.  The  intention  was  to  pay  for  it  in 
ten  years;  but  in  three  years  the  entire  indebtedness  was 
canceled,  and  a  project  was  entertained  to  erect  a  new 
hospital.  On  April  3,  1899,  the  new  building,  prominent 
among  the  benevolent  institutions  of  the  city,  was  dedi- 
cated.    The  property  represents  a  value  of  $85,000. 

The  society  numbers  five  hundred  active,  forty-eight 
life,  and  twenty-one  honorary  members.  Eleven  deacon- 
esses are  connected  with  the  institution;  but  as  their  serv- 
ice was  not  sufficient,  a  training-school  for  nurses  was 
established.  Eev.  J.  C.  Peters,  president  of  the  Board  of 
]\Ianagers,  and  pastor  of  the  largest  German  Protestant 
Church  in  the  city,  has  made  himself  especially  useful  for 
the  welfare  of  the  institution.  Five  hundred  patients  were 
nursed  in  the  hospital  in  1902,  and  there  are  eight  inmates 
in  the  Home  for  the  Aged. 


284  HiSTOKY   OF   THE   DeACONESS   MOVEMENT. 


^ 

i 

i    \ 

I 

ik^  1 

^^ 

■"^vw^.. 


"^  I 


'  ^Ul 


Protestant  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in 
Indianapolis,  Ind. 

German  Deaconess  Home,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

The  incentive  for  the  foundation  of  this  institution 
was  given  by  the  deaconess,  Ida  Tobschall.  She  had  been 
a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Buffalo,  and  in  1891  en- 
tered the  German  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  at  Gin- 


286         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

cinnati.  Letters  and  reports  which  she  sent  home  were 
so  encouraging  that  they  prompted  the  establishment  of 
a  Deaconess  Home  in  Buffalo,  and  on  January  26,  1895, 
a  number  of  friends  of  the  cause  gathered  together  and 
organized  a  Deaconess  Society,  of  which  at  once  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  became  members.  A  committee  was 
appointed  to  draft  a  constitution,  which  at  a  second  meet- 
ing, on  May  1st,  was  discussed  and  adopted.  The  object 
of  the  society  is  expressed  in  the  following  words :  1.  The 
collection  and  training  of  Christian  young  women  and 
lone  widows  to  the  exercise  of  Christian  benevolence. 
2.  The  establishment  and  support  of  institutions  in  which 
deaconesses  may  give  their  services  for  the  welfare  of  suf- 
fering and  imperiled  humanity.  The  institution  was  opened 
October  23,  1895,  in  a  rented  house  at  27  Goodrich  Street. 
The  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in  Cincinnati  gave 
the  society  two  deaconesses  for  an  indefinite  period  of 
time.  A  Woman^s  Society,  which  meanwhile  had  been 
organized,  performed  good  services  in  the  appointments 
of  the  house.  In  a  short  time  a  number  of  probationers  were 
entered,  and  the  house  was  so  filled  with  patients  that  en- 
largement of  the  premises  became  imperative.  The  society 
purchased  a  large,  suitable  site  on  Kingsley  Street,  and 
erected  thereon  a  spacious  building,  so  arranged  that  the 
three  departments  of  the  institution — Hospital,  Deaconess 
Home,  and  Home  for  the  Aged — could  be  kept  separate. 
The  new  structure  was  dedicated  November  28,  1896,  with 
imposing  ceremonies,  in  which  the  German  Protestant  in- 
habitants of  the  city  largely  participated.  The  Board 
of  Managers  had,  a  short  time  previously,  extended  a  call 
as  head  deaconess  to  Sister  Ida  Tobschall,  who  for  many 
years  was  at  the  head  of  the  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital 
in  Cincinnati.     Under  her  circumspect  management  the 


Deaconess  Homes  in  Protestant  Churches.    287 

Buffalo  institution  is  developing  great  prosperity.  Eev. 
C.  L.  Schild,  who  did  much  for  the  founding  of  the  insti- 
tution, filled  the  office  of  director  from  April,  1895,  to 
the  fall  of  1899.  Since  his  retirement  the  Home  has  had 
no  resident  minister.  Rev.  Dr.  A.  E.  Dahlmann,  in  addi- 
tion to  his  duties  as  pastor  of  a  large  congregation,  is 
superintendent  of  the  institution.  The  community  counts 
twenty-six  members,  of  whom  eleven  are  consecrated  dea- 
conesses. The  average  number  of  patients  annually  is  six 
hundred.  There  are  fifty  inmates  in  the  Home  for  the 
Aged,  and,  in  addition  to  nursing  in  private  families,  the 
deaconesses  have  charge  of  a  day-nursery.  The  annual 
receipts,  on  an  average,  are  $25,000. 

Deaconess  Home  "Bethesda/^  Chicago. 

This  institution  was  founded  in  1895  by  the  German 
philanthropist,  F.  Frank  F.  Henning.  As  early  as  1883 
Mr.  Henning  conferred  with  several  German  citizens  of 
Chicago  with  a  view  of  discussing  the  availability  and 
necessity  of  a  German  Hospital.  The  result  was  the  or- 
ganizing of  a  Hospital  Association,  which  was  incorporated 
December  17,  1883,  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  the 
State  of  Illinois.  The  object  of  the  institution  was  stated 
to  be  to  afford  a  refuge  to  all  persons,  irrespective  of  creed 
or  nationality,  in  cases  of  sickness,  and  to  give  this  benefit 
to  the  poor  without  compensation,  with  moderate  charges 
to  those  of  means.  Mr.  Henning  was  elected  president 
of  the  society,  and  later  of  the  hospital. 

He  was  born  May  3,  1840,  in  Prussia,  and  in  his  fif- 
teenth year  came  with  his  parents  to  America.  They  set- 
tled in  the  then  sparsely-populated  State  of  Wisconsin. 
Here  they  came  in  touch  with  the  Methodist  Church. 
Young  Frank  experienced  a  change  of  heart,  and  became 


288 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


a  member  of  this  Church.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  left 
the  paternal  roof  in  order  to  take  up  the  battle  of  life. 
He  showed  great  perseverance  and  decided  will-power, 
working  in  a  factory  and  on  a  farm  until,  in  1861,  he 
heeded  the  call  of  his  country  and  joined  an  Illinois  voh 

anteer  regiment. 
In  the  Civil  Wai 
he  was  engaged 
in  many  hardly- 
fought  battles. 
and,  after  being 
wounded,  received 
an  honorable  dis- 
charge, in  June, 
1863.  A  year 
later  he  entered  a 
furniture  b  u  s  i- 
ness  house  in  Chi- 
cago as  clerk,  and 
by  his  fidelity  and 
diligence  worked 
himself  up,  so 
that,  in  a  few 
years,  he  became 
a  member  of  the 
firm.  A  t  t  h  e 
great  Chicago  fire 
in  1871  he  lost  his  possessions,  but  not  his  courage.  The 
firm  established  itself  again,  erected  a  large  factory  of  its 
own,  and  in  a  short  time  Mr.  Henning  was  an  affluent  man. 
The  year  1880  was  a  turning  point  in  his  life.  After 
hearing  an  impressive  sermon  by  Evangelist  Moody,  he 
formed  the  resolution  of  thereafter  consecrating  his  life 
to  the  Lord.     He  joined  the  newly-established  society  of 


Mr.  F.  Frank  F.  Henning. 


Deaconess  Homes  in  Protestant  Churches.    289 

"Christian  Young  Men/'  and  soon  became  its  president. 
His  heart  was  aglow  with  love  for  the  Master,  and  he  put 
himself  at  the  head  of  the  committees  which  visited  the 
hospitals,  infirmaries,  prisons,  and  numerous  benevolent  in- 
stitutions of  the  city  of  Chicago.  This  work  gave  him  so 
much  enjoyment  and  pleasure  that  he  resolved  to  retire 
from  business,  and  devote  his  whole  time  and  strength 
to  philanthropic  work.  As  there  was  no  German  Prot- 
estant hospital  in  Chicago,  he  resolved  to  found  one.  On 
account  of  the  difficulty  experienced  in  getting  the  right 
point  of  view,  there  were  many  experiments  and  fluctua- 
tions in  his  venture,  until,  in  December,  1883,  he  under- 
took to  carry  out  his  projected  great  plan  of  founding  a 
German  Protestant  hospital.  The  question  jof  combining 
with  it  a  training-school  or  a  Deaconess  Home  was  by  no 
means  an  unimportant  one,  as  there  was  as  yet  but  little 
understanding  of  the  Deaconess  Work.  Nevertheless,  trust- 
ing to  the  Lord,  he  undertook  to  establish  the  Bethesda 
Deaconess  Society,  February  4,  188G ;  and  four  days  later 
Louise  Schmidt,  an  experienced  hospital  nurse,  was  in- 
stalled as  the  superintendent.  This  Deaconess  Society  was 
one  of  the  first  in  the  United  States.  After  a  twelve  years' 
connection  with  the  German  Hospital,  Mr.  Henning  re- 
tired from  its  management,  and  founded  the  German- 
American  Hospital,  combining  with  it  also  a  training- 
school  for  nurses,  which,  however,  is  conducted  by  dea- 
conesses. On  his  retirement  from  the  German  Hospital 
it  was  free  from  debt,  and  the  property  had  a  value  of 
$70,000,  besides  a  permanent  fund  of  $30,000.  Mr.  Hen- 
ning also  founded  the  Bethesda  Deaconess  Home,  and, 
October  1,  189G,  opened  the  German-American  Hospital. 
Here,  during  the  first  four  years,  1,324  patients  were  re- 
ceived and  nursed,  and  the  receipts  and  expenditures  dur- 
ing that  time  were,  in  round  numbers,  $40,000.  Mr. 
19 


290 


HI8T0KY    OF   THE    DeACOXESS   MOVEMENT. 


Henning  also  founded  the  Bethany  Brothers  Industrial 
Association.  This  society  furnishes  employment  to  the 
unemployed,  and  in  connection  with  it  he  established  a 
broom  factory,  a  printing-house,  a  Home  for  Incurables, 


Bethesda  Deaconess  Home  and  German  Amerioajn 
Hospital,,  Chicago,  III. 


an  Industrial  School,  and  a  restaurant  combined  with  a 
lodging-house,  in  which  the  worthy  poor  may  find  shelter 
for  the  night  at  a  nominal  cost.  Five  deaconesses  are 
active  in  the  institution,  and  the  balance  of  the  work  is 


Deaconess  Homes  in  Protestant  Churches.    291 

done  by  other  help.  Mr.  F.  Frank  F.  Henning  is  super- 
intendent of  the  work. 

Deaconess  Home,  Lincoln,  III.  The  foundation  of  this 
institution  is  to  be  traced  back  to  the  efforts  of  Rev.  F.  W. 
Schnathorst.  In  1899  two  deaconesses^  who  had  received 
their  training  in  Dayton,  0.,  took  charge,  and  three  years 
later  a  building  was  erected,  which  is  serving  the  com- 
bined purpose  of  hospital  and  Deaconess  Home. 

St.  Johns  Home  for  the  Aged,  Rochester,  N.  Y.  This 
institution  was  founded  in  1899,  with  the  intention  of 
placing  it  under  the  management  of  deaconesses ;  but  so 
far  it  has  been  impossible  to  do  so  through  lack  of  means. 
But  the  management  has  not  for  a  moment  lost  sight  of 
the  end  in  view. 

Institutions  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

Deaconess  Home  of  the  German  Reformed  Church, 
Cleveland^  0. 
At  a  conference  of  reformed  preachers  in  Cleveland, 
0.,  the  question  was  put  whether  it  would  not  be  advisable 
to  employ  a  deaconess  for  the  nursing  of  the  sick  in  the 
congregations.  The  fruit  of  this  discussion  was  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  ^^Society  for  the  Christian  Nursing  of  the 
Sick  and  Poor,"  which  was  organized  July  2,  1892,  in  the 
First  German  Reformed  Church  of  that  city.  A  Board 
of  Managers  was  elected,  consisting  of  twelve  members  of 
the  Reformed  Church.  During  the  first  year  they  were 
obliged  to  content  themselves  with  gathering  members  for 
the  society,  and  no  thought  could  be  entertained  of  nurs- 
ing the  sick,  for  the  three  young  women  who  had  been 
sent  to  the  hospitals  to  be  trained  were  lost  to  the  society. 
Thus,  after  the  first  year,  there  was  nothing  to  report  ex- 
cepting receipts  of  $268.46.  .  But  on  the  very  first  anni- 


292         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

versary  a  beginning  was  to  be  made  for  the  practical  execu- 
tion of  the  work. 

The  attention  of  the  leaders  of  the  movement  was  di- 
rected to  the  presence  of  a  deaconess  at  the  meeting,  who 
chanced  to  be  in  Cleveland  on  a  visit.  She  was  Catharine 
Broeckel,  a  deaconess  from  the  institution  in  Neumuenster, 
Switzerland.  After  several  conferences,  she  declared  her- 
self willing  to  assume  the  management  of  the  work,  pro- 
vided she  obtained  leave  from  the  Mother  House  in  Neu- 
muenster.  That  was  given,  and  on  Xovember  15,  1893, 
she  came  to  Cleveland,  undertaking  the  first  private  nurs- 
ing on  the  21st  of  the  same  month. 

The  next  thing  to  be  done  was  to  provide  a  suitable 
dwelling  for  the  deaconesses,  and  also  room  for  a  hospital. 
Three  rooms,  with  kitchen,  were  rented  in  a  house  on 
Scranton  Avenue,  of  which  one  was  furnished  with  three 
beds  as  a  sick-room.  The  premises  were  occupied  March 
1,  1894.  The  work  increased,  and  soon  the  quarters  were 
found  to  be  too  small.  Then  a  house  was  rented  in  Frank- 
lin Avenue  Circle,  at  $50  a  month.  This  was  the  Home 
of  the  deaconesses  for  two  years.  At  the  end  of  this  time 
it  was  determined  to  purchase  property  for  permanent 
residence,  and  a  most  desirable  piece  of  property  was 
purchased  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  one  of  the  parks 
of  the  city  for  $10,000.  Alterations  in  the  house  cost 
an  additional  $1,500,  and  an  additional  building  in  the 
rear  about  $3,000. 

Under  the  careful  management  of  the  directress,  Dea- 
coness Catharine  Broeckel,  the  internal  prosperity  of  the 
work  was  well  developed.  On  April  15,  1894,  the  first  pro- 
bationer, Miss  Anna  Hofer,  of  Toledo,  0.,  entered  the 
Home,  and  since  that  time  the  community  has  steadily 
grown.  Sister  Catharine  was  at  the  head  of  the  house  till 
February  1,  189 7,  when  she  was  succeeded  by  Deaconess 


Deacon Kss  Homks  in  Protestant  Churches. 


293 


Eosalia  Knorj),  of  Suttgart.  Upon  the  return  of  the  latter 
to  Germany  after  a  service  of  three  years,  Deaconess  Anna 
Hofer,  longest  in  the  community,  was  unanimously  elected 
directress. 

It  is  just  that  we  should  rememher  the  man  who  was 
a  main  factor  in  the  establishment  and  development  of  this 


Deaconess  Home  of  the  German  Refokmed  Church 
IN  Cleveland, O 

flourishing  institution.  He,  among  very  few  in  the  United 
States,  has  fully  grasped  the  thought  of  the  female  diac- 
onate,  and  belongs  to  the  most  prominent  leaders  of  this 
great  movement  which  is  so  promising  for  the  future  of 
the  American  Church.  He  is  Eev.  J.  H.  C.  Koentgen, 
D.  D.,  the  present  rector  of  the  institution.  He  was 
born  July   19,   1844,  at  Elberfeld,   Prussia.     His  father, 


2U 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


Ferdinand  Eoentgen,  was  a  God-fearing  man,  who  had  ^ 
much  at  heart  the  Christian  education  of  his  children.  His 
mother  was  a  highly-gifted  and  noble-minded  woman,  who, 
by  her  devout  life,  made  a  lasting  impression  upon  the 
hearts  of  her  five  children.  Unfortunately  she  died  early 
(1860),  and  in  1872  the  father  with  his  two  surviving 
children — a  daughter,  who  became  the  wife  of  Pastor  Graul 

in  Indianapolis,  and 
a  son,  the  present  Dr. 
J.  H.  C.  Eoentgen, 
emigrated  to  Amer- 
ica. Here  the  latter 
found  opportunity  to 
quench  his  great 
thirst  for  knowledge 
and  prepare  himself 
for  his  later  conse- 
crated career.  He  at 
once  entered  the  Ke- 
f  ormed  Mission 
House  in  Sheboygan, 
Wis.  By  his  diligence 
and  extraordinary 
firmness  of  character 
he  became  an  ex- 
ample to  his  fellow-students.  He  assumed  a  pastoral 
charge  in  1874  in  La  Crosse,  Wis.,  and  in  1882  accepted 
the  call  of  the  First  German  Eeformed  Church  in  Cleveland. 
He  served  this  congregation  until  he  resigned  his  pas- 
torate in  May,  1901,  in  order  to  devote  his  whole  time 
and  strength  to  the  Deaconess  Work.  The  Board  of  Man- 
agers of  the  institution  unanimously  elected  him  its  su- 
perintendent. He  had  performed  the  duties  of  this  office 
from  the  beginning,  but  not  until  this  time  had  found  it 


Rev.  J.  H.  C.  Roentgen,  D.  D. 


Deaconess  Homes  in  Protestant  Churches.    295 

imperative  to  give  up  all  pastoral  work.  In  1892  he  re- 
ceived from  the  Franklin  and  Marshall  College  at  Lan-. 
caster,  Pa.,  the  title  of  Doctor  of  Divinity,  and  this  dis- 
tinction he  richly  merited  as  a  thorough  theologian  and 
successful  pastor.  For  eight  years  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Faculty  of  Calvin  College  in  Cleveland,  and  the  stu- 
dents highly  esteemed  him  as  a  teacher.  A  near  relative  of 
Dr.  Roentgen  is  Professor  W.  C.  Roentgen,  of  Munich, 
whose  name  has  become  famous  through  the  discovery  of 
the  X-rays.  The  essays  which  he  usually  reads  at  the 
Protestant  Deaconess  Conference,  and  his  practical  grasp 
of  the  needs  of  this  young  work,  entitle  him  to  a  full  share 
in  the  healthy  development  of  the  Deaconess  Cause  in  the 
German  Protestant  Church  of  the  United  States. 

The  hospital  connected  with  the  Deaconess  Home  in 
Cleveland,  though  not  large,  enjoys  a  high  reputation. 
Besides  the  hospital  service,  the  deaconesses  are  active  in 
private  nursing,  and  the  institution  has  esta1)lished  a  Home 
for  the  Aged. 

The  Evangelical  Deaconess  Homes. 

While  the  Deaconess  Institutions  under  this  caption 
are  not  organically  connected  with  the  Evangelical  Synod 
of  North  America,  the  members  of  the  Board  of  Managers, 
as  well  as  the  superintendents  of  the  same,  belong  to  this 
denomination ;  hence  the  name.  This  great  and  influential 
branch  of  the  German  Protestant  Church  of  America  is 
most  prominently  represented  in  the  Interdenominational 
Deaconess  Institutions,  and  in  most  cases  the  initiative  in 
their  establishment  has  been  taken  by  ministers  of  this 
Synod.  Rev.  J.  Pister,  president  of  the  Evangelical  Synod 
of  Xorth  America,  is  president  of  the  Interdenominational 
Institution  in  Cincinnati,  0.,  and  also  has  been  president 
of  the  Protestant  Deaconess  Conference  of  America. 


296         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

The  Evangelical  Deaconess  Home  at  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
This  institution  is  under  tlie  auspices  of  the  Evangelical 
Deaconess  Association,  which  was  organized  in  1889,  and 
incorporated  under  the  State  laws  of  Missouri  in  1890.  En- 
couraged and  guided  by  the  Deaconess  Work  in  Germany, 
several  pastors  of  the  German  Evangelical  Synod  of  North 
America  deeply  felt  the  need  of  devoted  and  well-trained 
Christian  charity  workers  in  the  Protestant  Church  among 
the  sick  and  poor.  The  matter  was  earnestly  and  prayer- 
fully considered,  and  the  result  was  the  organization  of 
the  above  named  Association  and  a  general  interest  in  the 
work  among  the  German  Churches  throughout  the  city  of 
St.  Louis.  The  first  officers  were  Eev.  J.  F.  Klick,  Presi- 
dent; Rev.  H.  Walser,  Vice-President;  Rev.  C.  Fritsch, 
Secretary;  Mr.  A.  G.  Toennies,  Financial  Secretary;  and 
Mr.  W.  E.  Hess,  Treasurer. 

At  first  a  house  at  Fourteenth  and  Clark  Avenues  was 
donated  to  the  Association  by  Mrs.  Mebus,  a  widow.  This, 
however,  could  not  be  utilized  for  the  purpose;  so  it  was 
leased,  and  the  proceeds  were  used  to  rent  another  house, 
better  adapted,  at  2119  Eugenia  Street. 

The  first  deaconesses  were  Mrs.  Catharine  Haack,  a 
minister's  widow,  and  her  adopted  daughter.  Miss  Lydia 
Daries  (Sisters  Catharine  and  Lydia),  who  had  been  effi- 
cient trained  nurses  at  the  St.  Luke's  Hospital  (Episcopal) 
of  St.  Louis.  Soon  other  young  women  who  became  ac- 
quainted with  the  work  applied  for  admission,  and  after 
three  years  there  were  ten  deaconesses  at  work.  The  need 
for  such  work  was  very  great,  and  in  1892  the  Board  of 
Directors  bought  the  grounds  now  occupied  by  the  Home 
and  hospital,  which  is  centrally  located  in  a  quiet  residence 
neighborhood  in  the  West  End  of  St.  Louis,  at  the  corner 
of  West  Belle  Place  and  Sarah  Street.     In  addition  to  the 


298         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

well-preserved  schoolhouse  on  the  place,  which  was  thor- 
oughly renovated  and  rebuilt  to  suit  its  new  purpose,  a 
three-story  hospital  was  erected  the  same  year,  with  room 
for  forty-two  beds,  at  a  cost  of  $20,000.  In  1894,  Mr. 
H.  Tibbe,  of  Washington,  Mo.,  donated  the  sum  of  $9,000 
to  the  Association  for  the  purpose  of  paying  three-fourths 
of  the  cost  of  a  large  corner  lot  east  of  the  Home  and 
hospital  building,  thereby  greatly  enhancing  the  value  of 
the  property  and  improving  its. surroundings  for  the  future. 
A  new  addition  was  built  extending  on  to  the  new  ground 
in  1897,  thereby  providing  room  for  twenty-five  dea- 
conesses and  fifty  patients  and  several  rooms  for  hired 
help.  In  the  same  year  the  Board  of  Directors  decided 
to  intrust  the  management  into  the  hands  of  a  minister  of 
the  German  Evangelical  Synod.  To  this  action,  however, 
the  head  deaconess.  Sister  Catharine,  objected,  and  resigned 
her  position.  She  also  induced  some  of  the  other  deacon- 
esses to  leave  the  Home,  so  that,  when  the  present  superin- 
tendent, Eev.  F.  P.  Jens,  assumed  charge  of  the  work,  in 
the  spring  of  1898,  there  were  only  five  deaconesses  in  the 
Home.  The  work,  although  very  much  curtailed  by  these 
events,  was  continued,  nnd  began  to  grow  anew.  At  pres- 
ent (1902)  there  are  twenty-two  deaconesses  in  the  work, 
of  whom  ten  are  consecrated. 

The  hospital,  as  well  as  the  Home,  is  well  equipped. 
It  has  two  operating  rooms,  an  electric  elevator,  and 
hot  and  cold  baths.  Together  with  the  Home,  the 
Association's  property  is  valued  at  about  $45,000.  The 
deaconesses  receive  a  regular  course  of  training  lasting 
from  two  to  three  years,  whicli  comprises  not  only  the 
regular  trained  nurse's  course,  but  also  Bible  study  and 
the  history  and  principles  of  Deaconess  Work.  Besides 
nursing  the  sick  and  poor  in  the  hospital,  the  dea- 
conesses are  doing  considerable  charity  work  among  the 


Deaconess  Homes  in  Protestant  Churches.    299 

poor,  irreS23ective  of  creed  and  nationality,  in  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  and  Illinois.  They  have  nursed  in  the  institu- 
tion for  epileptics,  ''Emmaus,"  at  Marthasville,  Mo.,  and 
also  at  the  Good  Samaritan  Hospital  of  St.  Louis. 

In  1901  five  hundred  and  fifty-one  patients  were  nursed 
at  the  hospital,  sixty-nine  in  different  Church  districts  out- 
side of  the  hospital,  and  numerous  visits  were  made  to  the 
poor  and  needy.  The  income  for  1901  was  $27,000.  The 
present  officers  of  the  Association  are:  Eev.  H.  Walser, 
President;  Eev.  J.  Baltzer,  Vice-President;  Rev.  C.  G. 
Haas,  Secretary;  Mr.  G.  H.  Wetteran,  Treasurer;  Rev. 
F.  P.  Jens,  Superintendent  and  Financial  Secretary;  Sis- 
ter Magdalene  Gerhold,  Head  Deaconess. 

The  Tahitha  InstiUite,  Lincoln,  Neb.,  is  the  oldest  es- 
tablishment of  this  Church.  It  was  founded  in  1887  by 
the  present  director,  the  genial  Rev.  H.  Heiner.  It  was 
originally  an  Orphan  Asylum,  but  in  1889  there  was  con- 
nected with  it  a  Deaconess  Home.  A  handsome  edifice  was 
erected  at  a  cost  of  $15,000,  and  the  Deaconess  Home, 
Orphan  Asylum,  and  Home  for  the  Aged  are  all  under 
the  same  roof.  Four  deaconesses  are  connected  with  the 
institution,  of  whom  two  have  been  consecrated.  Rev.  H. 
Heiner  is  superintendent,  and  his  wife  directress,  of  the 
institute. 

The  Deaconess  Society  organized  by  evangelical  min- 
isters in  New  Orleans,  La.,  in  1894,  has  accomplished  but 
little  so  far.  The  society,  however,  hopes  soon  to  erect  a 
Deaconess  Home. 

Deaconess   Work  Among  the   German   Baptists. 

The  German  Baptist  Churches  of  Chicago  established, 
in  1897,  a  Deaconess  Society  with  a  membership  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty.  They  gathered  funds  for  an  institu- 
tion, and  engaged  two  deaconesses  who  had  received  their 


300         History  of  tttk  Draconess  Movement. 

training  in  Phila(leli)liia,  Pa.,  and  Dayton,  0.  The  society 
was  incori)orated  according  to  the  laws  of  the  State  of 
Illinois  under  the  name  of  "Deaconess  Society  of  the 
German  Baptists  of  Chicago  and  Vicinity,"  and,  in  the 
language  of  the  constitution,  the  object  of  the  society  is : 
nursing  the  sick  in  the  spirit  of  Christian  love,  as  well 
as  the  training  and  support  of  deaconesses  in  their  voca- 
tion. Unfortunately  the  society  has  not  yet  passed  the 
incipient  stage.  However,  a  number  of  deaconesses  are 
being  trained  for  their  work  in  different  hospitals,  and 
the  society  soon  hopes  to  be  able  to  purchase  its  own  Home, 
and  thereby  give  a  new  impetus  to  the  work.  Eev.  Jacob 
Meier,  pastor  of  the  First  German  Baptist  Church,  300 
North  Pauline  Street,  Chicago,  111.,  is  president  of  the 
society. 

Sprunger's  Deaconess  Institutes. 

Eev.  J.  A.  Sprunger,  of  Berne,  Ind.,  founded  a  Dea- 
coness Home  which,  in  several  respects,  is  different  from 
other  Deaconess  institutions.  It  is  in  the  hands  of  a  society 
known  by  the  name  of  "United  Deaconess  Association." 
Only  consecrated  deaconesses  may  become  members  and 
superintendents  of  this  Association,  and  the  latter  are 
elected  by  the  former.  Although  the  constitution  provides 
a  Board  of  Managers,  the  governing  reins  are  held  by  the 
president.  Rev.  J.  A.  Sprunger,  the  founder  of  the  insti- 
tution. He  has  the  supervision  of  the  property,  examines 
the  applications  of  those  who  wish  to  become  deaconesses, 
md  passes,  in  fact,  on  all  questions  of  importance,  whether 
in  the  internal  or  external  management  of  the  institu- 
tion. The  directress  is  called  Mother  Superior,  and  her 
assistant.  Matron  of  the  Mother  House.  Although  Rev. 
Sprunger  himself  belongs  to  the  Church  of  Mennonites,  the 


Deacoxess  Homes  in  Protestant  Churches.    301 

Deaconess  Association  is  interdenominational,  and  candi- 
dates are  received  from  the  different  Churches.  In  fact, 
it  is  reported  that  they  will  not  sever  connection  with  the 
Church  to  which  they  belong.  All  the  property  belongs 
to  the  United  Deaconess  Association,  and  is  therefore  man- 
aged b}^  the  community  of  deaconesses. 

This  institution  was  founded  in  February,  1890,  at 
Berne,  Ind.,  by  Eev.  Sj^runger,  and  in  June  of  the  same 
year  removed  to  Chicago.  The  work  made  rapid  progress. 
In  connection  with  the  Mother  House  in  this  city,  a  Ma- 
ternity and  Rescue  Home  was  established,  and  in  Berne, 
Ind.,  a  large  Orphan  Asylum  was  erected,  managed  by 
deaconesses.  In  189-1  the  society  opened  a  branch  hos- 
pital in  Cleveland,  and  another  in  Detroit,  while  deacon- 
esses were  sent  to  help  the  institutions  at  Evansville,  Ind. ; 
Indianapolis,  Ind.;  and  Bloomington,  111.  The  hospital 
in  Cleveland  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1895,  and  one  of 
the  faithful  deaconesses,  who  might  easily  have  saved  her- 
self, perished  in  the  flames,  because  she  was  unwilling  to 
forsake  her  helpless  patients.  Three  of  the  patients  lost 
their  lives.  There  are  three  deaconesses  active  in  Africa 
as  missionaries,  and  two  in  Turkey.  The  latter  are  in 
charge  of  an  institution  in  which  there  are  two  hundred 
and  twenty-five  orphans  and  seventy-five  widows. 

In  1897,  eighteen  deaconesses  separated  themselves  from 
the  Association,  on  account  of  a  difference  of  opinion  in 
regard  to  several  points  of  teaching.  They  established  a 
Home  in  Chicago,  which  is  presided  over  by  the  deaconess, 
K.  C.  Moser.  Eecently  the  Sprunger  Deaconess  Homes, 
as  such,  have  collapsed,  and  the  remaining  deaconesses  are 
managing  the  Orphan  Asylum  at  Berne,  Ind.,  and  are 
active  in  foreign  mission  work. 


302        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

The  Deaconess  Cause  in  the  Evangelical  Asso- 
ciation. 

This  Church  has  a  flourishing  Deaconess  Work  in  Eu- 
rope, with  a  Mother  House  each  in  Elberfeld  and  Strass- 
burg,  as  we  have  previously  noticed.  In  America,  only 
small  beginnings  thus  far  have  been  made, — in  Chicago, 
Cleveland,  Toronto,  and  Berlin,  Ont.  The  General  Con- 
ference of  the  Church,  at  its  session  in  St.  Paul,  Minn. 
(1899),  adopted  commendatory  resolutions,  appointed  a 
commission  for  the  drafting  of  plans  and  a  constitution, 
and  laid  the  foundation  for  a  uniform  management  of  the 
matter  in  the  whole  Church.  The  plans  adopted  by  this 
commission  makes  provision  for  the  appointment  of  a  Dea- 
coness Society  in  each  Conference  to  which  the  branch 
societies  of  the  congregations  are  subject.  The  entire  ar- 
rangement leans  on  the  German  Mother  House  idea.  None 
of  the  four  institutions  in  question  has,  up  to  the  present 
time,  its  own  Home;  but  in  each  case  the  preparatory 
steps  have  been  taken  for  the  acquisition  of  a  suitable 
piece  of  property,  and  in  each  one  of  these  cities  several 
deaconesses  are  busy  in  the  nursing  of  the  sick,  and  es- 
pecially in  parish  work.  In  June,  1902,  the  Chicago 
Home  celebrated  its  sixth  anniversary.  The  Home  is  lo- 
cated at  515  Orchard  Street,  and  Rev.  J.  Wellner  is  super- 
intendent. Of  the  eight  deaconesses,  four  are  still  in 
training. 

The  Protestant  Diaconate  Conference. 

At  the  time  of  the  dedication  of  the  Deaconess  Home 
in  Dayton,  0.,  tlie  rector  of  the  institution.  Rev.  Carl 
Mueller  called  together  the  representatives  of  the  German 
Protestant  Deaconess  Homes  in  America,  and,  October 
15,   1894,  opened  the   Protestant   Diaconate   Conference. 


Deaconess  Homes  in  Protestant  Churches.    303 

Kev.  Carl  Mueller  was  elected  president,  and  Dr.  J.  H.  C. 
Eoentgen  secretary.  The  object  was  to  get  acquainted 
with  each  other,  and  the  representatives  of  the  eight  insti- 
tutions, who  were  present,  reported  on  the  condition  of  the 
work.  Conference  advised  the  smaller  institutions  to  be- 
come affiliated  with  the  larger  ones,  and  that  no  Deaconess 
Home  receive  a  deaconess  leaving  another  without  first 
communicating  with  the  Mother  House  to  which  she  be- 
longed. 

The  next  Conference  was  held,  October  24-25,  1895, 
in  Cleveland,  and  busied  itself  principally  with  the  ques- 
tion of  principles.  Eev.  J.  H.  C.  Koentgen  was  elected 
president.  The  third  Conference  was  held  the  following 
year  in  Cincinnati,  and  the  training  of  deaconesses  was 
the  principal  subject  of  discussion.  Eev.  H.  W.  Hortsch 
was  elected  the  permanent  secretary.  At  the  fourth  Con- 
ference, held  in  Buffalo,  the  principal  subject  deliberated 
on  was  the  community  life  of  the  deaconess,  and  Rev.  C. 
Colder  was  elected  president.  It  was  at  this  Conference 
that  the  secretary  submitted  the  first  statistics  concern- 
ing the  German  Deaconess  Work  in  America. 

The  Conference  in  St.  Louis  discussed  themes  regarding 
the  instruction  of  the  deaconesses,  and  a  constitution  and 
rules  were  adopted  for  mutual  assistance  in  times  of  N'a- 
'tional  calamities.  Rev.  C.  L.  Schild,  of  Buffalo,  was  elected 
president,  and  upon  his  resignation,  which  soon  followed,  as 
he  retired  from  the  work,  the  duties  of  the  office  were  as- 
sumed by  the  vice-president,  Rev.  E.  G.  Hiller. 

The  next  Conference,  in  Indianapolis,  was  engaged 
with  the  question  of  the  spiritual  care  of  the  sick  by  the 
deaconesses.  Under  the  auspices  of  this  Conference  the 
Deaconesses'  Minor  was  published.  Rev.  H.  Walser,  of  St. 
Louis,  was  elected  president.  The  Conference  of  1900,  in 
Louisville,  Ky.;,  busied  itself  with  the  better  internal  or- 


304         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

ganization  of  Deaconess  Homes,  and  elected  Eev.  J.  Pister 
president.  In  1901,  Eev.  Dr.  A.  E.  Dahlman,  from 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  was  elected  president,  and  Eev.  J.  F.  Klick, 
from  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  vice-president. 

This  Conference  has  not  been  without  its  influence  upon 
the  development  of  the  Deaconess  Work  in  America.  It 
has  brought  the  workers  in  closer  touch  with  each  other; 
in  the  discussion  of  important  questions  it  has  served  to 
lead  the  Homes  into  certain  lines  of  work;  it  has  spread 
a  knowledge  of  the  Deaconess  Cause  throughout  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  and,  by  a  uniform  course,  advanced  the 
progress  of  the  work.  It  ineets  every  other  year,  and  the 
Head  Deaconesses  of  the  different  institutions  generally 
constitute  a  special  committee,  which  not  infrequently  sub- 
mits important  propositions. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  DEACONESS  WOEK  IN  THE  METH- 
ODIST EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA. 

We  will  now  trace  the  early  history  of  Deaconess  Work 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  America.  Mrs. 
Susan  M.  D.  Fry,  a  well-known  lady,  wrote,  in  1872,  in 
the  Ladies'  Repository,  a  family  magazine  which  had  a 
wide  circulation  among  Methodists,  as  follows : 

"When  will  the  women  of  America  awake  to  a  sense 
of  their  responsibility?  And  what  great  soul,  tilled  with 
love  to  God  and  man,  shall  open  the  way  and  prepare  the 
means  whereby  we  may  be  enabled  to  compete  successfully 
with  our  sisters  of  Rome,  not  only  as  general  charity  women, 
educators,  and  succorers  of  the  unfortunate,  but  especially 
as  nurses  of  the  sick — a  department  of  such  great  good 
to  soul  and  body,  yet  so  long  allowed  to  be  monopolized 
by  the  daughters  of  Rome?  Earnest  thinkers  upon  the 
subect  of  'Woman's  Work  in  the  Church'  are  looking  to 
the  Quakers  and  Methodists  to  move  forward  in  God's 
name,  smiting  the  waters  of  blind  prejudice,  and  leading 
their  daughters  into  the  full  possibilities  of  an  entirely 
devoted  Christian  womanhood." 

The  general  impression  seemed  to  be  that  the  Church 
could  not  possi])ly  perform  the  gigantic  work  devolving 
upon  it  in  consequence  of  the  unparalleled  increase  of 
population,  unless  it  leave  the  beaten  path  and  call  into  its 
service  new  help.  It  was  therefore  considered  necessary 
to  assign  to  women,  whose  sphere  of  action  had  been  rather 
limited,  a  new  field  of  activity  in  the  Church. 

It  is  a  known  fact  that  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
20  305 


306         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

has  always  accorded  greater  privileges  to  women  and  made 
more  use  of  their  help  than  any  other  denomination,  the 
Society  of  Friends  excepted.  Hence  it  is  surprising  that 
the  Deaconess  Work  should  have  been  ignored  so  long  by 
American  Methodism  despite  the  fact  that  inspiration  in 
that  direction  had  not  been  wanting.  Bishops  and  other 
prominent  men  in  the  Church  were  constantly  coming  into 
contact  with  the  flourishing  Deaconess  Work  abroad,  and 
the  vigorous  Bethany  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  Germany  and  Switzerland,  which  was  founded 
in  1874,  ought  to  have  been  an  incentive  to  American 
Methodism.  However,  the  Church  did  not  seem  to  profit 
by  these  until  toward  the  close  of  the  ^80's,  when  it  was 
suddenly  stirred  by  the  thought  that  it  had  been  neglectful 
in  this  particular  direction,  and  had  closed  its  eyes  to  golden 
opportunities. 

The  efforts  made  in  Germany  by  Amalie  Sieveking  and 
Pastor  Kloene  in  the  organization  of  Deaconess  Homes 
have  a  counterpart  in  the  United  States  in  the  pioneer  work 
of  Mrs.  Anna  Wittemeyer  and  Bishop  Simpson.  The  latter 
became  acquainted  with  the  Deaconess  Work  in  Germany 
early  in  the  '60's,  and  on  his  return  to  the  United  States 
advocated  the  founding  of  Deaconess  Institutes  after 
German  models.  Inspired  by  Bishop  Simpson,  the  editor 
of  the  Ladies'  Repository  continued  to  bring  the  cause  be- 
fore the  public.  Thus  one  of  his  contributors  wrote  in 
1872 : 

"In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  there  are  seven 
hundred  thousand  women,  or  two  hundred  thousand  more 
women  than  men ;  and  the  question  of  how  this  force  may 
be  utilized  is  of  no  small  importance  both  to  the  Church 
and  to  the  world.  If  the  Church  lays  not  hold  of  it,  the 
world  does.  But  certainly  this  question  has  been  at  least 
partially  solved  by  the  organization  of  a  society  called  the 


Methodist  Church  in  America.  307 

Ladies'  and  Pastors'  Christian  Union,  which,  to  a  great 
extent,  supplies  the  want  of  the  Order  of  Deaconesses.  In 
fact,  in  this  society  we  find  the  exact  counterpart  of  the 
Commune  Deaconess  of  Europe,  or  the  apostolic  Phoebe. 
It  was  first  organized  in  Philadelphia,  March,  1868,  and 
the  first  year  thirty-seven  thousand  families  were  visited, 
and  during  this  last  year  already  more  than  fifty  thousand 
families  have  been  visited  by  these  ladies  in  the  interest  of 
Church,  Sabbath-school,  and  religion.  In  this  society  the 
earnestly  pious  sisters  in  the  Church  simply  propose  to 
unite  under  the  control  and  guidance  of  their  pastor,  and, 
as  he  shall  direct,  visit  the  sick,  the  poor,  the  fatherless, 
and  the  widows,  and  appeal  to  the  careless  and  indifferent 
professor,  or  hardened  sinner,  giving  as  much  as  prac- 
ticable of  their  time  and  money  for  the  upbuilding  of 
Christ's  kingdom;  but,  above  all,  their  prayers  and  per- 
sonal efforts  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  ^engaging  to  watch 
for  souls  as  they  who  must  give  account,'  and  be  ready,  if 
need  be,  to  snatch  them  as  brands  from  the  eternal 
burning.'' 

Dr.  ^[aclay,  writing  from  China  in  the  October  number 
(1871)  of  the  Heathen  Woman  s  Friend  concerning  the 
labor  of  native  Christian  women  in  the  China  missions, 
asks,  "Why  not  revive  the  ancient  Order  of  Deaconesses  in 
our  Church?"  In  answer  to  this  question,  Mrs.  Susan 
M.  D.  Fry  says : 

"There  is  at  present  a  movement  on  foot  for  the  intro- 
duction of  this  order  into  the  Church  of  England,  and 
the  subject  is  being  agitated  in  the  German  Reformed 
Church  of  America.  In  18G6  a  gentleman  of  Hagerstown, 
Md.,  gave  $5,000,  accompanied  with  a  proposition  that  three 
ladies  of  the  congregation  should  be  ordained  deaconesses, 
and  have  control  of  the  income  of  said  fund  for  the  pur- 
poses and  duties  as  practiced  in  the  early  Church.    Bishop 


308         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Littlejohn,  before  a  Convention  of  ministers  of  the  Diocese 
of  Long  Island  in  session  some  time  during  the  past  year — 
I  have  not  the  exact  date — urged  the  importance  of  the 
setting  apart  of  women  for  special  Church  orders  and 
duties.  The  proposition  met  with  great  favor.  There  are 
several  Deaconess  Institutions  in  Europe  at  the  present 
time,  and  at  least  two  in  our  own  country.  I  have  not  been 
able  to  gain  information  of  any  others,  though  there  may 
be  such.^^ 

The  Ladies'  and  Pastors'  Christian  Union  was  founded 
by  Mrs.  Anna  Wittemeyer,  who  is  to  be  considered  the 
Amalie  Sieveking  of  American  Methodism.  ■  She  was  the 
pioneer  of  the  Deaconess  Movement  in  this  Church.  Like 
Florence  Nightingale,  Mrs.  Wittemeyer  brought  comfort 
and  solace  to  the  wounded  and  dying  on  the  battlefields  and 
in  the  hospitals  during  our  Civil  War.  She  organized 
bands  of  ministering  women,  and  under  her  direction  they 
accomplished  a  great  work  during  the  war.  When  peace 
had  been  restored  she  endeavored  to  direct  these  labors  of 
mercy  into  permanent  channels.  For  this  purpose  she 
made  Philadelphia  her  home,  and  published  a  paper 
called  The  Cristian  Woman.  She  also  traveled  extensively, 
lecturing,  organizing  societies,  and  appealing  to  the  women 
of  this  country  to  consider  their  duty  toward  the  sick,  the 
poor,  and  the  forlorn.  The  pulpit  and  the  press  took  no- 
tice of  her  activity,  and,  in  harmony  with  her  desire,  the 
General  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
1872  officially  recognized  the  above-named  society,  the 
Ladies'  and  Pastors'  Christian  Union.  The  Official  Board 
of  this  organization  was  composed  of  twelve  women  and 
thirteen  clergymen.  However,  the  real  moving  power  of 
the  Union  was  Mrs.  Wittemeyer  and  Mrs.  Susan  M.  D.  Fry. 
These  two  ladies  traversed  the  country,  and  in  simple  but 
stirring  language  pleaded  for  a  wider  and  more  systematic 


Methodist  Church  in  America.  309 

exemplification  of  the  principle  of  Christian  benevolence, 
and  advocated  the  founding  of  hospitals,  orphanages,  Dea- 
coness Homes,  Homes  for  the  Aged,  etc.  In  the  larger 
cities  they  also  founded  societies  to  look  after  the  poor  and 
the  sick  and  to  visit  prisons.  In  these  endeavors  they  were 
especially  encouraged,  and,  aided  by  Bishop  Simpson,  with 
whom  Mrs.  Wittemeyer  often  discussed  the  Deaconess 
Cause.  The  bishop  concluded  that  the  time  for  founding 
of  Deaconess  Homes  after  German  models  had  come.  The 
Ladies'  and  Pastors'  Christian  Union  seemed  to  him  to  be 
best  adapted  as  a  means  for  the  realization  of  this  purpose. 
In  1872,  Mrs.  Fry  published  a  series  of  articles  in  the 
above-named  monthly,  the  Ladies'  Repository,  in  which  she 
made  a  strong  plea  for  the  Deaconess  Cause.  Several  of 
these  papers,  entitled  "Ancient  and  Modern  Sisterhoods" 
and  "Ancient  and  Modern  Deaconesses,"  called  forth  es- 
pecial interest.  She  closes  one  of  these  articles  with  the 
following  words : 

"Where  is  there  a  broader  field  or  more  legitimate  work 
for  women  than  in  the  ministration  of  love?  And  if  so 
much  is  accomplished 'by  the  desultory  labors  of  Protestant 
women,  how  much  greater  success  would  crown  concerted 
action!  .  .  .  Looking  at  the  Sisterhoods,  we  can  not 
fail  to  see  that  their  success  lies  not  in  celibacy,  but  in 
system;  not  in  monasticism,  but  in  organization;  not  so 
much  in  blind  devotion  as  in  thorough  training.  When 
shall  the  question  cease  to  be  asked,  'Why  can  not  Prot- 
estant women  do  what  these  Koman  Catholic  women  do  ?' 
Not  that  we  do  not  as  much  as  they,  in  other  channels,  per- 
haps, and  unknown  to  the  world,  but  that  we  fall  so  far 
short  of  what  might  be  done,  and,  we  may  add,  ought  to 
be  done.  Because  Kome  once,  with  a  great  maelstrom  of 
denunciation,  swept  in  all  the  free  bands  of  women  de- 
voted to  the  service  of  Christ  and  humanity,  and  degraded 


SlO        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

them  to  mere  propagandizing  forces,  shall  we  fail  to  op- 
pose an  equal  barrier  to  her  success?  Yea,  a  more  than 
equal;  for  so  soon  as  Protestant  women  systematically 
undertake  the  good  works  humanity  so  loudly  demands, 
not  as  ^engines  of  religious  propagandism/  but  simply  show- 
ing their  faith  by  their  works,  Eome's  most  powerful 
weapon  passes  from  her  hands.  Already,  in  all  Europe, 
the  crown  of  victory  is  settling  on  the  brows  of  Protestant 
nurses  and  teachers — thanks  to  the  efforts  of  Mrs.  Fry, 
Pastor  Fliedner,  and  others.^' 

In  the  fall  of  1872,  Mrs.  Wittemeyer  made  a  journey 
to  Kaiserswerth,  in  Germany,  in  order  to  acquaint  herself 
more  thoroughly  with  the  working  of  the  deaconess  or- 
ganization. During  her  sojourn  abroad  she  published  sev- 
eral articles,  in  which  she  described  the  modern  Deaconess 
Movement,  especially  the  institution  at  Kaiserswerth,  giv- 
ing an  account  of  its  purposes  and  results.  A  general  en- 
thusiasm was  created  by  these  articles,  and  it  seemed  that 
the  Church  was  now  prepared  for  the  introduction  of  Dea- 
coness Work.  However,  the  activi1;y  of  the  women  par- 
ticularly interested  in  this  cause  was  suddenly  checked  and 
diverted  into  another  channel. 

In  September,  1874,  the  women  of  this  country  became 
suddenly  interested  in  the  Temperance  Movement,  and 
many  of  them  were  drawn  into  the  "Crusade,^^  which 
originated  in  Ohio,  having  been  planned  by  several  coura- 
geous women.  The  movement  spread  rapidly  all  over  the 
country  and  caused  intense  enthusiasm.  Mrs.  Wittemeyer 
was  made  president  of  the  organization,  and  from  that 
time  on  devoted  her  efforts  to  the  temperance  cause,  in 
which  she  had  always  been  deeply  interested.  In  the  fall 
of  1874,  Mrs.  Fry  returned  from  Europe,  and  she  also 
was  drawn  into  the  movement.  Meanwhile  she  accepted 
a   call   to   a   chair   in  •  the   Illinois    Wesleyan   University, 


Methodist  Church  in  America.  311 

with  the  intention  of  devoting  her  entire  time  later 
on  to  the  temperance  cause.  It  soon  became  evident  that 
the  Ladies^  and  Pastors'  Christian  Union  was  not  well 
adapted  to  establish  the  Deaconess  Work,  because  of  its 
unwieldiness,  its  directors  being  scattered  all  over  the  coun- 
try. True,  the  establishing  of  an  Institution  had  been  de- 
cided, but  it  was  not  to  have  a  small  beginning,  developing 
like  a  mustard-seed.  On  the  contrary,  its  was  planned  on 
a  large  scale,  and  this  circumstance  was  the  cause  of  its 
failure.  Nevertheless,  the  work  had  not  been  in  vain.  The 
way  had  been  prepared  for  a  wider  activity  of  women  in 
the  Church.  The  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union 
was  organized,  and  the  Woman's  Missionary  Societies  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  had  for  some  time  previous 
been  doing  excellent  work.  Hence,  when  a  few  years  later, 
in  the  '80's,  Bishop  Thoburn  began  to  advocate  the  Dea- 
coness Cause,  and  Mrs.  Lucy  Eider  Meyer  threw  the  weight 
of  her  powerful  personality  into  the  scales,  it  did  not  prove 
difficult  to  inaugurate  the  movement,  which  was  to  take  a 
powerful  hold  on  the  Church  in  a  comparatively  short  space 
of  time. 

In  188G,  Dr.  J.  M.  Thoburn  (at  present  Bishop  Tho- 
burn), who  had  been  sent  to  India  in  1859,  and  who  is 
beyond  question  one  of  our  greatest  missionaries,  returned 
to  America  to  restore  his  health.  The  voyage  proved  to 
be  of  historic  significance.  The  misery  of  women  in  India 
was  uppermost  in  his  mind  during  the  trip,  and,  after 
much  prayer,  the  thought  came  to  him  that  the  intro- 
duction of  the  Deaconess  Work  might  bring  the  desired 
relief.  Millions  of  the  women  of  India  are  debarred  from 
participating  in  the  sacrament  of  the  communion,  and  this 
deplorable  state  of  affairs  will  necessarily  continue  until 
one  of  their  own  sex  can  administer  this  sacrament.  When- 
ever the  Mission  Conferences  in  India  convene,  this  mat- 


312        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

ter  is  usually  discussed,  and  the  question  has  often  been 
asked  whether  it  be  possible  to  revive  the  Deaconess  Order 
of  the  primitive  Church,  and  thus  to  create  an  office  which 
would  empower  the  female  missionaries  to  administer  the 
holy  communion  to  the  Zenana  women,  who  are  kept  in 
such  strict  seclusion  that  missionaries  are  not  allowed  to 
approach  them  for  that  purpose.  If  in  the  primitive 
Church  laymen  (e.  g.,  midwives)  were  permitted  to  ad- 
minister baptism  in  case  of  urgency,  why  should  female 
missionaries  be  prohibited  from  administering  baptism  to 
Zenana  women  who  have  been  prepared  for  admission  into 
the  Church,  and  desire  to  be  baptized  ?  And  if  baptism  is 
admissible  under  such  circumstances,  why  not  also  com- 
munion? Dr.  Thoburn  declared  that  he  would  have  this 
privilege  made  use  of  only  in  cases  of  utmost  necessity; 
it  was  to  be  considered  an  exception,  and  not  a  rule.  In 
view  of  the  fact  that  the  deaconesses,  if  ordained,  would 
enjoy  the  same  privilege  as  the  deacons  in  the  primitive 
Church,  he  was  confident  that  in  the  Deaconess  Order  he 
had  found  the  desired  help  for  India. 

Methodism  has  always  held  more  liberal  opinions  con- 
cerning the  question  of  ordination  than  the  Established 
Church.  By  the  introduction  of  lay  preaching  it  has  re- 
vived a  custom  of  the  Apostolic  Church.  It  has  always 
adapted  itself  to  its  surroundings,  and  would  not  be 
hampered  by  tradition.  Like  the  Apostle  Paul,  it  has 
manifested  a  cosmopolitan  spirit  in  order  to  win  men  for 
Christ.  Why,  then,  should  it  not  be  able  to  find  a  way  in 
which  it  would  be  possible  to  administer  the  sacraments 
to  newly-converted  souls  in  the  Zenana?  Dr.  Thoburn 
believed  that  the  Deaconess  Order,  such  as  it  is  found  in 
the  primitive  Church,  would  solve  the  problem,  and,  like 
Fliedner,  he  was  used  by  Providence  to  point  out  the 
way  to  the  Church.    However,  things  did  not  come  to  pass 


Methodist  Church  in  America. 


313 


as  he  had  planned ;  for  his  ideas  did  not  meet  with  ap- 
proval at  the  General  ConfeT-ence.  Nevertheless,  he  aided 
in  adding  a   feature  to  the  organism  of  the   Church  in 


Bishop  James  M.  Thobubn. 

America  by  means  of  which  a  larger  field  of  usefulness 
was  opened  to  American  women.  This  was  brought  about 
in  the  following  manner: 

On  his  return  voyage  to  America,  referred  to  above, 
Dr.  Thoburn  was  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  his  sister, 


314        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Miss  Isabella  Thoburn,  also  a  missionary.  En  route  they 
discussed  the  mission  work  in  India,  and  in  connection 
with  it  the  Deaconess  Organization  as  it  was  found  in 
Europe.  In  London  the  two  ladies  visited  several  Dea- 
coness Homes,  among  them  "Mildmay."  The  impression 
which  they  received  confirmed  Dr.  Thoburn  in  his  opinion 
that  deaconesses  would  not  only  prove  a  blessing  for  India, 
but  also  for  entire  Methodism.  He  resolved  to  present 
the  matter  to  the  Church,  and  to  press  the  introduction 
of  the  order.  He  writes  as  follows :  "We  came  over  to 
America,  and  began  at  once  to  put  the  plan  before  the 
public.  This  was  early  in  1886.  I  think  the  first  time 
that  I  ever  stated  the  plan  in  detail  before  a  public  audi- 
ence was  in  Bellefontaine,  0.,  at  the  session  of  the  Central 
Ohio  Conference  of  that  year.  Everywhere  I  noticed  with 
surprise  that  the  proposal  met  with  unexpected  favor. 
Hundreds  of  people  would  say:  Tt  is  just  the  thing  we 
need.  The  time  has  come  when  some  agency  of  this  kind 
must  be  provided.'  When  we  reached  Chicago  we  were 
invited  to  the  training-school  of  Mrs.  Lucy  Eider  Meyer. 
Here  we  found  a  noble  Christian  worker  with  the  same 
problem  in  her  mind,  and  busy,  not  only  pondering  the 
subject,  but  arranging  to  carry  it  into  effect.  Here  also 
we  met  our  friend  and  brother,  Mr.  W^.  E.  Blackstone,  pre- 
pared to  help  with  counsel  and  with  purse  in  initiating 
the  enterprise.  At  other  points  I  was  surprised  to  find 
that  God  was  stirring  up  the  same  conviction  in  the  minds 
of  leading  men  and  women.  I  can  not  forbear  to  mention 
one,  the  late  lamented  W.  H.  Craig,  of  Kansas  City. 
When  I  visited  him  at  his  home,  and  before  I  had  said 
a  word  on  the  subject,  he  told  me  that  the  time  had  come 
for  our  Church  to  move  in  this  matter.  I  mention  all 
these  incidents  to  show  that  God  has  been  leading  in  this 
movement.     Great  movements   of  this  kind   never   begin 


Methodist  Church  in  America.  315 

by  a  happy  chance  in  a  single  place,  and  spread  thence 
like  fire  over  the  prairies.     God  creates  a  widespread  con- 
viction,  prepares   many   minds    for   the   reception   of   his 
plans,  and  so  guides  that  when  the  time  comes  his  people 
are  prepared  for  their  responsibilities.     Hence  it  was  that 
when  we  carried  this  subject  into  the  General  Conference 
of  1888,  we  were  all  amazed  to  find  that  it  commanded, 
not  only  a  majority  of  votes,  but  kindled  a  deep  enthusiasm 
in  the  hearts  and  minds  of  the  delegates  there  assembled." 
In   Chicago,   Dr.   Thoburn   spent   a   few   days   at   the 
Training-school  for  Missions.     This  w^as  important  in  the 
history  of  the  movement.     Mrs.  J.   M.  B.   Eobinson  has 
said:    "The    honor   of    having   introduced    the    Deaconess 
Work  into  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  the  United 
States  is  due  to  Mrs.  Lucy  Eider  Meyer,  of  the  Chicago 
Training-school,   who,   with   her   pupils,   visited   the   poor 
and  the  sick   in  the  city  during  the  summer  of   1887." 
The  first  Deaconess  Home  in  American  Methodism  was 
opened  in  unused  rooms  at  the   Chicago   Training-school 
in  June,  1887,  in  the  fall,  a  "flat"  near  by  having  been 
secured,    and    Miss   Isabella   Thoburn   was   made   "house- 
mother," as  the  office  of  matron  is  beautifully  designated 
in  the  Deaconess  Homes  m  Germany.     But  before  this, 
October  20,  1885,  Mrs.  Meyer  had  opened  the  first  train- 
ing-school   for   prospective   deaconesses,   in    Chicago.      Of 
it,  Dr.  Stevens,  the  historian  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,   writes:    "This   day   will    forever   be   a   red-letter 
day   in   the   history   of   American    Methodism.      From    it 
dates  the  beginning  of  the  Deaconess  Work  in  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  of  America."     The  official  name 
of  the  institution  was  "The  Chicago  Training-school  for 
City    and    Home    and    Foreign    Missions."      Funds    were 
lacking,    and,    from    the    beginning,    the    institution    had 
to  depend  on  the  aid  of  its  friends.     The  instructors  were 


316        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Mrs.  Lucy  Eider  Meyer,  her  husband,  Rev.  J.  S.  Meyer, 
and  several  ladies,  all  of  whom  devoted  their  time  to  the 
work  without  remuneration.  The  subsequent  history  of 
the  institute,  its  progress  and  expansion  by  founding  new 
branches,  and  increasing  the  number  of  Sisters,  is  remark- 
able, and  chapters  could  be  written  about  it.  We  shall 
continue  the  narrative  later. 

In  passing,  we  will  notice  briefly  the  life  of  the  person 
to  whom  the  honor  is  due  of  having  founded  the  first  Dea- 
coness Home  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Amer- 
ica. Posterity  will  mention  her  name  in  connection  with 
those  of  prominent  leaders  among  the  women  of  our  coun- 
try. Mrs.  Lucy  Eider  Meyer  was  born  in  a  farm-house. 
She  enjoyed  good  health,  which  was  principally  due  to 
continual  exercise  in  the  open  air.  She  thus  trained  her- 
self for  the  exhausting  work  awaiting  her  in  later  life. 
Her  parents  were  deeply  religious,  and  her  father  was 
favorably  known  in  the  neighborhood  on  account  of  his 
intimate  acquaintance  with  the  Bible.  Hence  it  is  not  sur- 
prising that  she  became  imbued  with  a  love  for  the  Scrip- 
tures. During  the  long  winter  evenings  and  on  Sunday 
afternoons  the  entire  family  surrounded  the  hearth,  and 
often  occupied  themselves  with  Biblical  subjects.  The 
father  sometimes  depicted  a  noted  Biblical  character,  and, 
as  an  object  lesson,  he  drew  pictures  with  chalk  on  the 
kitchen  floor.  Lucy  was  noted  for  the  kindness  of  her  dis- 
position, and  her  mother,  who  was  a  very  sensible  woman, 
often  expressed  the  desire  that  her  daughter  might  receive 
a  good  education  and  become  a  useful  member  of  society. 
When  she  was  thirteen  years  old,  one  of  her  playmates 
died  suddenly.  The  impression  made  on  her  mind  by 
this  incident  was  exceedingly  deep,  and  she  determined  so 
to  live  that  she,  too,  would  be  prepared  to  die.  She  con- 
tinued to  seek  the  Lord  until  she  had  experienced  a  change 
of  heart  and  had  become  a  happy  child  of  God.    From  that 


Metpiodist  Church  in  America.  317 

time  she  led  a  life  so  exemplary  that  she  gladdened  the 
hearts  of  her  parents  and  of  her  pastor.  Her  character 
developed  like  the  budding  of  a  rose.     She  graduated  at 


Mks.  Lucy  Rider  Meter. 


Oberlin  College,  and  later  studied  medicine,  obtaining  the 
degree  of  M.  D.  from  a  medical  college  which  afterward 
became  a  part  of  the  Northwestern  University.  It  was 
her  purpose  to  go  to  India  as  medical  missionarv;  but  her 


318        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

plans  were  frustrated  through  the  death  of  a  dear  friend. 
Being  thrown  on  her  own  resources,  she  was  obliged  to 
work  for  a  living.  She  contributed  to  various  periodicals, 
and  wrote  the  Bible-lessons  for  several  Sunday-school 
papers,  being  obliged  thus  to  engage  in  systematic  Bible 
study,  thus  preparing  herself  for  her  subsequent  career. 
She  accepted  a  professorship  in  McKendree  College, 
and  later  she  was  employed  by  the  Illinois  Sunday- 
school  Association.  She  was  also  a  delegate  to  the  Cen- 
tennial Sunday-school  Jubilee,  which  was  celebrated  in 
London  in  1880.  At  this  meeting  she  became  convinced 
that  the  Sunday-school  needed  teachers  better  prepared  for 
their  work,  and  she  determined  to  found  a  Bible-school. 
About  this  time  she  heard  an  impressive  sermon  on  sys- 
tematic giving,  through  which  she  was  induced  to  give 
the  tenth  part  of  her  income  for  benevolent  purposes.  She 
carried  out  this  determination  with  the  result  that  finally 
she  laid  herself  upon  the  altar,  and  refused  to  accept  any 
salary  at  all  for  her  work. 

Several  years  before,  while  traveling  in  the  interest  of 
the  Illinois  Sunday-school  Association,  she  felt  a  longing 
to  experience  a  higher  Christian  life,  and  yearned  for  a 
pure  heart.  The  more  she  studied  the  Scriptures,  the 
more  deeply  she  became  convinced  that  she  needed  the 
baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  For  this  she  continued  to 
plead  until  her  prayers  were  answered.  This  experience 
she  relates  in  the  following  words :  ^* As  I  was  prostrate 
on  my  knees  one  evening,  the  thought  came  to  me  that 
perhaps  I  was  self-willed  and  ought  not  to  insist  on  hav- 
ing my  way  in  this  matter.  As  I  continued  in  prayer  my 
desire  for  the  promised  blessing  became  more  intense,  and 
I  finally  cried  out,  ^0,  Lord  Jesus,  thou  hast  promised  com- 
plete satisfaction  to  my  soul,  and  I  can  not  help  asking 
thee  for  it!'     Then  suddenly  my  poor  empty  heart  was 


Methodist  Church  in  America.  312 

filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit  and  with  such  gladness  that 
I  can  not  express  my  feelings  in  words."  Shortly  after 
this  experience  forty  young  men  were  converted  in  a  meet- 
ing she  was  conducting. 

Her  experience  and  that  of  her  husband,  Rev.  J.  S. 
Meyer,  in  the  founding  of  Deaconess  Homes  calls  to  mind 
those  of  George  Mueller,  of  Bristol.  The  beginning  of  the 
work  in  a  rented  house  was  as  modest  as  the  beginning  in 
Kaisers werth.  Yet  to-day,  after  the  brief  lapse  of  seven- 
teen years,  the  work  has  acquired  such  dimensions  that  it 
is  difficult  for  the  historian  to  trace  it  in  its  various  rami- 
fications. The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  sustains  Dea- 
coness Homes  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  There  are  over 
one  hundred  of  them,  and  from  New  York  to  San  Fran- 
cisco there  is  a  network  of  benevolent  institutions  trace- 
able, directly  or  indirectly,  to  the  small  beginning  in 
Chicago.     The  money  invested  is  over  $2,000,000. 

In  1889,  Mrs.  Lucy  Rider  Meyer  published  a  valuable 
and  interesting  book,  entitled  "Deaconesses,"  *  which  ran 
through  several  editions.  In  the  first  part  she  gives  an 
outline  of  the  history  of  the  Deaconess  Order  from  Sister 
Phoebe  until  the  present  time.  In  the  second  part  she  de- 
scribes the  founding  and  development  of  the  Chicago 
Training-school ;  and  in  the  third  part  she  relates  in  a 
fascinating  manner  how  the  first  Deaconess  Home  was 
originated,  and  how  the  hand  of  Providence  guided  her  in 
her  enterprise.  Since  then  she  has  published  various  other 
books  and  pamphlets.  She  is  also  editor  of  the  Deaconess 
Advocate,  an  official  organ  of  the  Deaconess  Society  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  the  most  widely-circu- 
lated deaconess  paper  in  the  United  States.     Mrs.  Meyer 


*  In  the  same  year,  another  very  excellent  book  appeai*ed :  "  Deacon- 
esses, Ancient  and  Modern,"  bv  Rev.  Henry  Wheeler,  and  [published 
by  Eaton  &  Mains,  New  York. 


320  HiSTOKY    OF    THE    DeACONESS    MOVEMENT. 

still  is  principal  of  the  Chicago  Training-school.  She 
travels  in  the  interest  of  the  cause,  founds  ne\^  Homes, 
and  shuns  no  sacrifice  when  the  interests  of  the  Deaconess 
Cause  are  at  stake. 

We  will  now  take  up  again  the  thread  of  our  narra- 
tive. The  training-school  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
Chicago  Preachers'  Meeting,  and  that  body  resolved  to  re- 
quest the  General  Conference,  which  was  to  meet  in  May, 
1888,  to  recognize  the  Deaconess  Work  as  a  Church  insti- 
tution. The  Annual  Conference  of  Bengal,  India,  sent 
a  similar  petition,  with  the  additional  request  that  the 
General  Conference  would  empower  the  deaconesses  in 
mission  lands  to  administer  the  sacraments.  The  matter 
was  referred  to  a  committee,  the  chairman  of  which  was  Dr. 
J.  M.  Thoburn,  and  the  secretary  Dr.  A.  B.  Leonard,  at 
present  missionary  secretary.  This  committee  drew  up 
several  resolutions  in  reference  to  the  matter,  which  were 
adopted  after  a  lengthy  discussion.  They  were  prefaced 
in  the  following  manner:  "For  many  years  our  brethren 
in  Germany  have  employed  a  number  of  deaconesses, 
whose  work  is  followed  by  the  best  of  results.  We  rejoice 
that  a  beginning  has  also  been  made  in  our  country.  The 
training-school  in  Chicago  is  a  success,  and  we  think  it 
advisable  to  found  similar  institutions  in  other  cities.  In 
some  of  our  congregations  Sisters  are  already  employed, 
performing  the  work  of  deaconesses  without  being  called 
so,  and  their  number  could  be  increased  if  we  were  to 
organize  the  workers.  We  believe  that  God  is  in  this  move- 
ment, and  the  Church  ought  to  recognize  this  fact.  We 
also  think  that  General  Conference  ought  to  devise  a  plan 
according  to  which  the  work  of  these  excellent  women  is 
to  be  regulated  in  accordance  with  the  requirements  of 
the  Church,  so  that  it  may  bring  about  the  best  results.'^ 

The  discussion  which  followed  proved  that  a  clear  con- 


Methodist  Church  in  America.  321 

ception  of  the  deaconess  office  was  wanting  among  the 
delegates.  Dr.  Thoburn  said:  "I  do  not  think  that  there 
is  one  man  in  this  Conference  who  really  knows  what  the 
term  'deaconess'  means.  I  myself  do  not  know  clearly; 
however,  my  sister  is  in  reality  a  deaconess,  and  I  earnestly 
hope  that  the  Church  will  regard  this  movement  favorably, 
and  that  General  Conference  will  recognize  the  Deaconess 
Order  as  a  Church  office  and  introduce  it.''  This  was  done 
by  accepting  the  following  paragraphs,  which  were  incor- 
porated in  the  Discipline  of  the  Church : 

"The  duties  of  the  deaconesses  are  to  minister  to  the 
poor,  visit  the  sick,  pray  with  the  dying,  care  for  the 
orphan,  seek  the  wandering,  comfort  the  sorrowing,  save 
the  sinning,  and,  relinquishing  wholly  all  other  pursuits, 
to  devote  themselves,  in  a  general  way,  to  such  forms  of 
Christian  labor  as  may  be  suited  to  their  abilities. 

"No  vow  shall  be  exacted  from  any  deaconess,  and  any 
one  of  their  number  shall  be  at  liberty  to  relinquish  her 
position  as  a  deaconess  at  any  time. 

"In  every  Annual  Conference  within  which  deaconesses 
may  be  employed,  a  Conference  Board  of  nine  members, 
at  least  three  of  whom  shall  be  women,  shall  be  appointed 
by  the  Conference  to  exercise  a  general  control  of  the  inter- 
ests of  this  form  of  work. 

"This  Board  shall  be  empowered  to  issue  certificates 
to  duly-qualified  persons  authorizing  them  to  perform  the 
duties  of  deaconesses  in  connection  with  the  Church,  pro- 
vided that  no  person  shall  receive  such  certificate  until 
she  shall  have  served  a  probation  of  two  years  of  continuous 
service,  and  shall  be  over  twenty-five  years  of  age. 

"No   person  shall   be   licensed  by  the  Board   of   Dea- 
conesses except  on  the  recommendation  of  a  Quarterly  Con- 
ference, and  said  Board  of  Deaconesses  shall  be  appointed 
by  the  Annual  Conference  for  such  term  of  service  as  the 
21 


323         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Annual  Conference  shall  decide,  and  said  Board  shall  re- 
port hoth  the  names  and  work  of  such  deaconesses  annually, 
and  the  approval  of  the  Annual  Conference  shall  he  neces- 
sary for  tlie  continuance  of  any  deaconess  in  her  work. 

"When  working  singly,  each  deaconess  shall  be  under 
the  direction  of  the  pastor  of  the  Church  with  which  she 
is  connected.  When  associated  together  in  a  Home,  all  the 
members  of  the  Home  shall  be  subordinate  to,  and  directed 
by,  the  superintendent  placed  in  charge.^' 

Thus  the  Deaconess  Work  was  recognized  officially  as 
an  institution  of  the  Church,  despite  the  fact  that  but  few 
understood  its  high  importance  and  its  far-reaching  in- 
fluence. General  Conference,  however,  declined  to  ordain 
the  deaconesses  in  the  India  mission-field.  It  also  de- 
clined to  admit  to  its  membership  the  women  who  had  been 
elected  by  the  Lay  Conferences  as  delegates  to  this  body. 
However,  new  channels  of  Christian  activity  Avere  opened 
to  women  through  the  introduction  of  the  Deaconess  Order 
into  the  Church  as  a  part  of  its  organism. 

In  passing,  we  must  not  omit  mentioning  a  lady  who, 
through  her  wonderful  activity,  has  been  the  means  of 
greatly  advancing  the  Deaconess  Work,  which  she  had 
studied  in  Europe,  particularly  in  Germany.  We  refer  to 
Mrs.  Jane  M.  Bancroft  Robinson,  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  the 
secretary  of  the  Deaconess  Bureau  of  the  Woman's  Home 
Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
She  was  born  in  Stockbridge,  Mass.,  being  the  daughter 
of  a  Methodist  minister.  Her  father  was  educated  with 
a  view  of  entering  the  marine  service,  and  until  his  thir- 
tieth year  he  served  in  the  capacity  of  marine  officer.  Hav- 
ing experienced  religion,  he  decided  to  devote  his  life  to 
the  service  of  the  Lord,  and  entered  the  Methodist  min- 
istry. The  mother  was  a  woman  of  rare  intellectual  gifts 
and  of  unusual  executive  ability.      Above  all;  sh^  was 


Mrs.  Jane  M.  Bancroft  Robinson, 


324  HlSTOKY   OF   THE   DeACONESS   MOVEMENT. 

deeply  religions,  and  she  reared  her  children  most  con- 
scientiously "in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord." 
Every  Sunday  she  took  little  Jane  by  the  hand  and  led  her 
to  Sunday  class-meeting.  When  she  was  born,  her  father 
was  pastor  of  a  Church  in  the  above-named  city.  The 
child  was  gifted,  and  as  she  grew  up  she  took  great  delight 
in  books.  In  school  she  was  generally  first  in  her  classes. 
As  her  father  was  stationed  mostly  in  the  cities  of  New 
England,  she  had  excellent  opportunities  for  acquiring  an 
education,  and  she  moved  in  the  best  society.  In  1871 
she  graduated  from  Emma  Willard's  Seminary  in  Troy, 
N.  Y.,  and  a  year  later  from  the  State  Normal  School  in 
Albany,  N".  Y.  After  graduation  she  accepted  a  call  to 
the  principalship  of  Fort  Edward  Institute.  Here  she 
remained  several  years.  Later,  she  entered  Syracuse  Uni- 
versity, and  obtained  the  degree  of  Ph.  D.  In  1877  she 
was  elected  dean  of  the  Woman's  College,  and  Professor  of 
French  in  the  Northwestern  University,  at  Evanston,  111., 
which  position  she  filled  for  nearly  nine  years,  holding 
that  office  longer  than  has  any  other  dean  of  that  institu- 
tion. Just  previous  to  leaving  Evanston,  she  was  chosen 
Fellow  of  Bryn  Mawr  College,  the  first  Fellow  of  History 
elected  in  that  college.  Despite  the  fact  that  she  had  been 
filling  a  professorship  of  French,  her  tastes  were  for  his- 
tory and  for  years  she  had  been  pursuing  this  branch,  with 
particular  reference  to  the  development  of  the  Constitu- 
tions of  various  nations,  doing  an  immense  amount  of 
original  research  work.  With  her  election  to  the  Fellow- 
ship at  Bryn  Mawr,  there  opened  to  her  the  opportunity  of 
studying  with  Professor  Woodrow  Wilson,  then  holding  a 
professorship  in  that  institution.  At  the  close  of  the  year, 
still  wishing  to  pursue  her  studies  further,  she  went  to 
Zurich,  Switzerland,  and  there  took  up  work  in  the  uni- 
versity.   Later^  she  went  for  a  year  to  the  University  of 


Methodist  Church  in  America.  325 

Paris,  having  the  honor  of  being  the  first  woman  admitted 
to  the  "Ecole  des  Haiites  Etudes/' 

While  in  Zurich,  in  the  fall  of  1886,  Miss  Bancroft 
became  deeply  interested  in  the  deaconesses  she  saw  there. 
She  met  them  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
Zeltweg,  and,  having  been  informed  of  their  work,  it  oc- 
curred to  her  that  the  order  ought  to  be  introduced  in 
the  American  Church.  She  at  once  wrote  to  Mrs.  E.  S. 
Rust,  corresponding  secretary  of  the  Woman's  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society,  describing  in  glowing  colors  her  obser- 
vations and  impressions.  Mrs.  Eust  at  once  saw  the  im- 
portance of  this  work,  and  therefore  advised  Miss  Bancroft 
to  make  a  special  study  of  the  Deaconess  Cause,  and  on 
her  return  to  America  present  the  subject  in  its  various 
bearings  to  the  Official  Board  of  the  Woman's  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society,  with  a  view  of  inaugurating  a  similar 
movement  in  the  United  States.  When  she  went  to  Paris, 
in  the  spring  of  1887,  she  inspected  the  Deaconess  Insti- 
tute of  Pastor  Vermeil.  She  enjoyed  the  friendship  of 
Mile.  Sarah  Monod,  and,  accompanied  by  her,  she  visited 
various  branches  of  the  Home  and  other  benevolent  in- 
stitutions in  which  deaconesses  were  employed.  The  self- 
denying  spirit  and  the  thorough  work  of  the  deaconesses 
made  a  deep  impression  on  her  mind.  She  also  visited 
England,  and  inspected  the  hospitals  and  various  benev- 
olent institutions.  Above  all,  she  was  interested  in  the 
Mildmay  Deaconess  Home  in  North  London.  At  the  time 
she  was  not  aware  of  the  fact  that  Isabella  Thoburn  had 
visited  the  institutions  a  year  previous. 

From  London  she  went  to  Kaiserswerth,  to  acquaint 
herself  with  the  details  of  the  organization  and  work  there. 
She  determined  to  found  something  similar  under  the  pa- 
tronage of  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society,  hardly 
realizing   that    a    beginning    had    already    been    made    in 


326         HrsTOKY  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Chicago,  and  that  there  was  a  movement  on  foot  to  peti- 
tion General  Conference  to  constitute  the  Deaconess  Work 
an  organic  part  of  the  Church. 

A  few  months  after  the  adjournment  of  the  General 
Conference  of  1888,  which  had  recognized  the  Deaconess 
Order  as  a  Church  office,  she  arrived  in  the  United  States, 
and  at  once  attended  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Woman's 
Home  Missionary  Society  in  Boston  (October,  1888). 
After  listening  to  her  inspiring  address,  a  Committee  on 
Deaconess  Work  was  formed,  with  Mrs.  Eobinson  (then 
Miss  Bancroft)  as  its  chairman.  Captain  Thomas,  who 
had  listened  to  her  plea,  donated  $100,  and  the  ball  was 
thus  set  rolling.  The  general  impression  was,  that  a  move- 
ment which  had  been  a  great  blessing  in  Germany  would 
also  prove  to  be  beneficial  in  this  country,  especially  since 
it  now  had  the  sanction  of  General  Conference.  In  the 
following  year  the  authority  of  the  committee  was  en- 
larged, and  a  Deaconess  Bureau  was  created,  the  manage- 
ment of  which  again  was  intrusted  to  Miss  Jane  M.  Ban- 
croft, the  pioneer  of  this  great  movement. 

She  now  traveled  through  the  length  and  breadth  of 
the  land,  delivering  inspiring  addresses  and  founding  Dea- 
coness Homes  and  Associations.  The  first  Deaconess  Home 
under  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society  was  the  one 
in  Detroit,  Mich.  It  had  been  a  mission  before,  and  was 
opened  in  January,  1890.  Miss  Gaddis,  the  first  super- 
intendent, was  trained  in  the  Chicago  Training-school. 

The  Homes  at  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Buffalo,  Pitts- 
burg, San  Francisco,  Los  Angeles,  Washington,  Brooklyn, 
and  Denver  owe  their  existence  to  her  efforts,  and  under 
her  direction  the  work  of  the  Deaconess  Bureau  has  in- 
creased to  such  an  extent  that  to-day  no  less  than  forty- 
two  institutions  are  connected  with  the  Woman's  Home 
Missionary  Society.     The  aggregate  value  of  the  property 


Methodist  Church  in  America.  327 

amounts  to  over  half  a  million  dollars.  There  are  375 
deaconesses,  including  probationers,  in  these  Homes.  In 
1889,  Miss  Bancroft  published  a  book  entitled  "Deacon- 
esses in  Europe  and  Their  Lessons  for  America."  She 
made  use  of  German  authorities,  and  the  work  is  the  best 
that  has  been  published  on  the  subject  in  the  English 
language.  In  fifteen  chapters  she  covers  the  whole  ground 
from  apostolic  times  to  the  present  day.  Several  editions 
of  the  book  have  been  published,  and  it  has  been  the  means 
of  enlightening  the  Church  on  the  important  subject  of 
which  it  treats.  Dr.  Abel  Stevens  calls  Mrs.  Robinson  the 
Evangelist  of  the  Deaconess  Work  in  the  Methodist  Church 
in  the  United  States. 

In  the  spring  of  1891,  Miss  Bancroft  married  George 
0.  Robinson,  a  prominent  lawyer  in  Detroit.  He  is  very 
much  interested  in  the  work  of  his  wife,  and  is  also  able 
to  aid  her  materially  at  times  by  giving  legal  advice.  He 
helped  in  founding  a  Deaconess  Home  in  Detroit,  and  has 
contributed  freely  toward  the  support  of  the  cause.  Mrs. 
Robinson  continued  her  connection  with  the  Deaconess 
Bureau  of  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society  after 
her  marriage,  and  has  made  the  cause  in  which  she  is 
engaged  her  life  work.  She  does  not  travel  as  extensively 
as  formerly,  but  from  her  home  in  Detroit  she  superin- 
tends her  work  in  all  parts  of  our  great  country.  Far 
from  accepting  any  remuneration  for  her  services,  she  an- 
nually contributes  largely  towards  the  cause  from  her  own 
private  resources.  Only  eternity  can  tell  what  she  has 
accomplished.  Placed  by  circumstances  in  life  where  ease, 
comfort,  and  luxury  might  be  hers,  she  relinquishes  these 
to  give  herself  to  this  Deaconess  and  Missionary  Work. 
She  has  an  abiding  faith  in  the  Deaconess  Work  of  the 
Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society,  and  believes  that, 
under  God's  guiding  providence,  it  is  to  be  the  most  ef- 


328  HlSTOHY   OF   THE   DeACONESS   MOVEMENT. 

fectivc  arm  of  service  of  this  great  society,  and  that  it 
is  the  highest  Christian  patriotism  to  encourage  this  work 
of  noble,  godly  women  who  give  themselves  to  God's  serv- 
ice, "for  the  love  of  Christ  and  in  his  name." 

Besides  founding  numerous  Deaconess  Institutions  in 
the  States,  the  Woman's  Honie  Missionary  Society  has 
also  begun  the  work  in  our  new  possessions,  Porto  Rico 
and  Hawaii.  The  current  expense  of  the  society  for  the 
Deaconess  Cause  during  the  last  year  amounted  to  $60,000, 
and  in  the  Year-Book  of  the  Society,  although  the  youngest 
branch  of  its  various  benevolences,  it  already  holds  the 
first  rank.  The  Executive  Board  has  decided  that  the 
head  deaconesses  of  the  institutions  under  the  patronage 
of  the  society  are  to  be  members  of  the  Conference  Ex- 
ecutive Committee.  Hence  they  are  recognized  as  officers 
of  the  Conference  Society.  The  deaconesses  have  further- 
more the  privilege  of  choosing  one  of  their  number  as 
delegate  to  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Conference  Society. 
Thus  the  Sisters  are  directly  represented  in  the  Executive 
Board.  Besides  this,  at  least  one  of  the  officers  of  the 
General  Bureau  is  to  be  a  deaconess. 

At  this  point  we  will  mention  a  successful  coworker 
of  Mrs.  Eobinson.  Miss  Henrietta  A.  Bancroft,  field  secre- 
tary for  the  Deaconess  Bureau  of  the  Woman's  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society,  for  many  years  occupied  important  posi- 
tions in  institutions  of  higher  education.  She  graduated 
first  from  the  Albany  State  Normal  College,  then  from 
Cornell  College,  Iowa,  and  later  from  the  University  of 
Michigan.  Like  her  sister,  Mrs.  Jane  Bancroft  Robinson, 
her  early  training  was  in  the  family  of  a  Methodist  min- 
ister, where  the  spiritual  and  intellectual  influences  were 
deep  and  strong.  She  has  vivid  remembrances  of  the 
Sabbath  afternoons  when  the  mother  gathered  about  her 
the  children  of  the  family  and  taught  them  the  Catechism, 


Methodist  Cuurch  in  America. 


329 


so  that  she  could  recite  this  long  before  she  knew  the 
fullness  of  meaning  in  which  the  thoughts  of  that  book 
are  expressed.  There  was  also  a  rule  in  the  household 
that,  every  morning  before  breakfast,  each  of  the  children 
must  recite  two  verses  from  the  Scriptures,  and  on 
Sabbath  the  twelve  verses  memorized  during  the  week 
were  all  recited  in  review. 
Thus  early  was  instilled 
into  the  minds  of  this 
family  of  children  the 
great  doctrines  of  the 
Church,  strengthened  by 
the  possession  of  a  large 
store  of  Scriptural  knowl- 
edge and  Christian  life. 
After  some  years  of 
teaching.  Miss  Bancroft 
continued  her  studies  in 
the  Universities  of 
Oxford,  England ;  of 
France,  in  Paris;  and 
Strassburg,  Germany. 
She  occupied  the  chair 
of  English  Language  and  Literature  in  Cornell  College, 
Iowa;  later  was  dean  of  the  Woman's  College  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Southern  California,  and  while  there  was  elected 
as  preceptress  of  Albion  College,  and  also  Professor  of 
English  Language  and  Literature  in  the  same  institution. 
When,  in  1898,  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  So- 
ciety desired  her  services,  she  resigned  her  position  in 
Albion  College  to  give  to  the  Deaconess  Cause  her  thorough 
culture  and  rich  experience.  Since  then  she  has  traveled 
from  city  to  city,  holding  meetings  and  speaking  for  the 
Deaconess   Cause,  and  awakening  understanding  and  in- 


MiBS  Henrietta  a.  Banckoft. 


330         History  of  the  Deaconess  ]\Iovemext. 

terest  in  this  great  work.  In  connection  Avitli  the  same, 
she  has  organized  Auxiliaries  of  the  Woman's  Home  ]\Iis- 
sionary  Society,  collected  money,  and  has  everywhere  heen 
helpfnl  whenever  necessary  in  the  organization  of  Dea- 
coness Institutions,  and  by  her  imnsiial  talent  for  organi- 
zation has  rendered  great  service  to  this  work.  Miss  Ban- 
croft has  had  marked  success  in  fostering  Deaconess  In- 
stitutions, and  has  aided  in  the  advancement  of  this  work 
in  all  parts  of  the  United  States.  For  this  purpose  she 
has,  the  first  four  years,  traveled  about  sixty  thousand 
miles,  has  obtained  large  sums  for  the  support  of  Deaconess 
Institutions,  and,  most  important  of  all,  has  brought  many 
pupils  to  the  training-schools,  and  led  many  earnest  women 
to  enter  the  deaconess  ranks. 

Mrs.  E.  S.  Rust,  the  former  corresponding  secretary 
of  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society,  died  several 
years  ago.  She  promoted  the  Deaconess  Cause  to  the  best 
of  her  ability,  and  lent  a  helping  hand  in  the  founding 
of  many  new  Homes.  Mrs.  Professor  Williams,  a  lady 
with  a  warm  heart  and  noble  impulses,  is  her  successor. 
She,  too,  is  deeply  interested  in  the  work,  and  endeavors 
to  promote  the  cause  to  the  best  of  her  ability. 

Soon  after  the  adjournment  of  the  above-mentioned  his- 
torical General  Conference  the  leaders  in  the  new  move- 
ment in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  became  impressed 
with  the  fact  that  the  Deaconess  Work  in  this  country 
could  not  be  an  exact  imitation  of  the  work  abroad,  but 
had  to  be  so  shaped  as  to  adapt  it  to  our  peculiar  rela- 
tions in  Church  and  State.  The  more  general  education 
of  American  girls,  the  different  methods  in  Church  work, 
the  American  views  with  reference  to  the  work  proper 
for  women  to  engage  in,  and,  above  all,  the  greater  diffi- 
culty in  obtaining  Sisters  for  this  calling, — these  and  other 
matters  called  for  a  less  rigid  organization.     Hence  the 


Methodist  Church  in  America. 


331 


necessity  for  frequent  meetings  and  conventions  for  the 
purpose  of  exchanging  views  and  communicating  experi- 
ences. With  these  objects  in  view,  a  Deaconess  Conven- 
tion was  held  in  Chicago  in  the  fall  of  1888.  Charles  E. 
North,  of  Chicago,  was  elected  chairman,  and  Rev.  J.  S. 


>-«3t> 


Mrs.  R.  S.  Rust. 

Meyer,  of  Chicago,  secretary.  As  a  result  of  this  meeting 
a  plan  was  adopted  for  the  organization  and  government  of 
all  Deaconess  Institutions  within  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Rules  were  adopted  regulating  the  founding  of 
new  Homes,  the  training,  admission,  costume,  and  sup- 
port of  the  deaconesses,  and  similar  matters.     It  was  also 


332         History  of  the  Deaconess  ^Tovemext. 

decided  that  all  the  property  acquired  by  or  donated  to 
Homes  is  to  be  held  in  the  name  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  All  Deaconess  Institutes  are  to  be  organ- 
ized and  governed  according  to  the  rules  laid  down  in  the 
Discipline,  and  all  Deaconess  Committees  of  the  Annual 
Conferences  are  to  meet  once  a  year  with  the  Executive 
Boards  of  the  institutes  under  their  patronage.  No  in- 
stitute can  make  any  important  change  in  its  inner  work- 
ing without  the  consent  of  the  Conference  authorities. 
Deaconesses  wishing  to  enter  the  work  must  be  on  proba- 
tion for  three  months;  they  must  not  exceed  the  age  of 
forty,  and,  in  exceptional  cases,  must  have  the  unanimous 
consent  of  the  Executive  Board.  A  two  years'  course  of 
study  was  devised,  and  thoroughness  in  mastering  it  is  in- 
sisted on.  No  deaconess  is  to  be  licensed  who  has  not 
passed  a  satisfactory  examination  before  the  Conference 
Committee,  and  whose  state  of  health  has  not  been  at- 
tested by  medical  authority.  The  question  of  providing  for 
disabled  deaconesses  was  also  discussed,  and  an  endowment 
for  each  institute  was  recommended,  in  order  that  those 
deaconesses  who  have  given  their  years  and  strength  to 
the  cause  may  be  provided  for  in  old  age. 

From  what  has  been  stated,  it  is  evident  that  the  first 
Convention  planned  wisely,  and  that  the  leaders  were  cog- 
nizant of  the  importance  of  this  great  movement.  It  was 
decided  that  a  similar  Convention  should  meet  annually, 
and  in  the  following  year  (1889)  the  meeting  took  place 
in  the  beautiful  summer  resort.  Ocean  Grove.  The  in- 
terest in  the  movement  had  in  the  meanwhile  increased, 
and  Bishops  Ninde  and  Hurst  spoke  to  immense  audiences 
on  the  subject.  Their  addresses  were  published  in  the 
weekly  Church  papers,  and  thus  became  an  inspiration  to 
millions.  The  year  following  (1890)  the  Convention  met 
at  Chautauqua,  and  Bishop  Thoburn,  who  had  just  re- 


Methodist  Church  in  America.  333 

turned  from  India,  made  the  principal  address.  He  re- 
ported that  he  had  succeeded  in  founding  Deaconess  Homes 
in  Calcutta,  Lucknow,  Muttra,  and  Bengalore,  and  that 
a  Home  was  about  to  be  founded  in  Shanghai,  China. 
These  Deaconess  Conventions  have  since  been  held  annu- 
ally, and  they  have  continued  to  increase  in  interest  and 
importance. 

The  labors  of  the  deaconesses  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  embrace  all  those  lines  especially  adapted 
to  the  nature  and  capacity  of  women,  viz. :  1.  Deaconess 
Work  within  the  local  Church  or  congregation;  2.  Nurs- 
ing the  sick,  both  in  hospitals  and  private  homes,  giving 
especial  attention  to  the  poor;  3.  Work  among  children, 
as  instructors  in  kindergartens,  kitchengardens,  industrial 
schools,  sewing-schools,  etc. ;  4.  Mission  work  in  prisons, 
at  railroad  stations,  midnight  missions,  etc. ;  5.  Employ- 
ment in  Bible  Institutes,  female  seminaries,  orphanages. 
Homes  for  the  Aged,  Hospitals  for  Incurables,  and  other 
benevolent  institutions. 

Deaconess  Homes  and  the  various  institutes  connected 
with  them  have  not  been  a  financial  burden  to  the  Church ; 
the  financial  problem  was  solved  with  jarring.  The 
Church  was  deeply  interested,  and  made  the  sacrifice  nec- 
essary for  the  acquiring  of  real  estate  and  the  erection  of 
buildings.  Through  the  income  from  the  Deaconess  Work 
in  hospitals  and  private  families,  a  large  part  of  the  run- 
ning expenses  w^ere  paid  without  disturbing  the  work 
among  the  poor. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  already  owns  over  one  hundred  Deaconess  Homes 
in  various  parts  of  the  world,  that  about  fourteen  hundred 
deaconesses  and  probationers  are  employed,  and  that,  in 
the  short  space  of  seventeen  years,  the  property  owned  is 
valued  at  $2,750,000^  it  is  evident  that  the  work  has  de- 


334        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

veloped  much  more  rapidly  than  any  one  imagined  in  1888. 
Of  the  twenty-six  hospitals  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  United  States  that  have  been  founded  within 
the  last  sixteen  years,  all  excepting  two  employ  deaconesses. 
and  the  number  of  Sisters  has  increased  twenty-six  per  cent 
annually  since  1888.  If  this  growth  should  continue — and 
there  is  no  good  reason  why  it  should  not — the  number 
of  deaconesses  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
United  States  will,  in  ten  years  from  now,  number 
thousands.  Eighty-five  of  these  one  hundred  and  ten 
Deaconess  Institutes  are  in  the  United  States,  thirteen 
in  Europe,  nine  in  India,  two  in  China,  and  one  in  Africa. 
With  these  institutes  fifty-two  stations*  are  connected. 
The  rules  adopted  by  the  General  Conference  of  1888 
were  not  changed  materially  by  the  Conferences  of  1893 
and  1896.  However,  the  General  Conference  of  1900  en- 
larged the  plan,  and  placed  the  entire  Deaconess  Work 
under  the  control  of  the  Board  of  Bishops.  The  Church 
was  divided  into  districts,  and  the  bishops  were  placed 
over  these  as  general  superintendents.  Each  superintend- 
ent is  to  report  to  the  Board  of  Bishops,  which  meets  twice 
a  year.  This  new  law,  constituting  the  third  chapter  of 
the  Discipline,  is  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  inserted 
here : 

PART  IV,  CHAPTER  HI,  OF  THE  DISCIPLINE. 

GENERAL,  DEACONESS  BOARD. 

(a)  The  Board  of  Bishops  shall  be  a  General  Dea- 
coness Board,  which  shall  meet  semi-annually,  and  have 
a  general  supervision  over  all  Deaconess  Work  through- 
out the  Church. 


*  Deaconess  work  is  tabulated  under  "  Stations,"  if  it  includes  cen- 
ters where  only  one  Deaconess  is  at  work,  or  where  there  is  some  prop- 
erty, but  no  Deaconess  regularly  stationedt 


Methodist  Church  in  America.  335 

(b)  The  Board  shall  quadrennially  arrange  the  An- 
nual and  Mission  Conferences  and  Missions  into  Deaconess 
Districts,  and  at  the  sessions  of  the  General  Conference 
shall  appoint  a  general  superintendent  or  a  Missionary 
Bishop  as  district  superintendent  over  each  of  these 
districts. 

(c)  The  General  Deaconess  Board  shall  authorize,  on 
the  recommendation  of  the  Annual  Conference,  the  es- 
tablishment of  Homes,  Hospitals,  Orphanages,  Old  Peo- 
ple's Homes,  and  other  institutions,  such  as  properly  come 
under  the  care  of  deaconesses  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  shall  authorize  Conventions  and  other  general 
meetings  held  in  the  interest  of  the  Deaconess  Work. 

(d)  The  Board  may  also  authorize  the  establishing 
and  maintenance  of  Homes  for  Deaconesses,  who,  on  ac- 
count of  age,  loss  of  health,  or  other  physical  disability, 
are  unable  to  continue  in  the  work,  and  are  without  ade- 
quate means  of  support. 

(e)  All  questions  of  difference  arising  in  the  admin- 
istration of  Deaconess  Work  shall  be  presented  in  writing 
to  the  district  superintendent,  to  be  by  him  submitted  to 
the  General  Board  for  final  determination  at  the  next 
semi-annual  meeting  thereof. 

DISTRICT   SUPERINTENDENT. 

The  district  superintendent  shall  have  supervision  of 
all  Deaconess  Work  within  his  district;  he  shall  promote 
the  interests  of  the  work  by  all  proper  means;  he  shall 
receive  reports  of  deaconesses.  Churches,  Conference 
Boards,  Deaconess  Institutions,  and  benevolent  societies, 
and  other  matters  pertaining  to  Deaconess  Work,  and  shall 
render  an  annual  re])ort  of  the  same  to  the  General  Board. 
All  transfers  of  deaconesses  from  one  field  of  labor  to  an- 
other shall  be  subect  to  his  approval. 


33(3         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

GENERAL  DEACONESS  BOARDS. 

1.  In  each  Annual  Conference  a  Conference  Deaconess 
Board  of  nine  members,  at  least  three  of  whom  shall  be 
women,  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Conference  for  such  a 
term  of  service  as  the  Conference  may  decide.  It  shall 
be  the  duty  of  this  Board  to  encourage  and  promote  the 
establishment  and  support  of  Deaconess  Institutions,  and 
to  exercise  general  control  of  this  form  of  Christian  work 
within  the  Conference,  according  to  the  provisions  of  this 
chapter;  to  see  that  all  charters,  deeds,  and  other  con- 
veyances of  the  property  of  Deaconess  Institutions  within 
the  bounds  of  the  Conference  conform  strictly  to  the  laws, 
usages,  and  forms  of  the  State  or  Territory  within  which 
such  property  is  situated,  and  also  to  the  Discipline,  and 
to  see  that  all  such  property  is  well  insured.  This  Board 
shall  furnish  annually  to  the  Annual  Conference  and  to 
the  superintendent  of  the  district,  including  the  Confer- 
ence, a  statement  of  the  number  of  deaconesses  in  each 
institution,  how  employed,  the  amount  of  money  received 
and  how  expended,  and  such  other  statistics  as  the  An- 
nual Conference  or  the  district  superintendent  may  re- 
quire. 

2.  Ko  institution  shall  be  recognized  as  a  Deaconess 
Institution  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  until  it  is 
authorized  by  the  General  Board  on  the  recommendation 
of  the  Annual  Conference  within  whose  territory  it  is 
located,  and  shall  conform  to  the  regulations  of  this 
Chapter. 

3.  Each  candidate  for .  a  license  as  a  deaconess  must 
be  unmarried  and  over  twenty-three  years  of  age,  and  be 
recommended  by  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  the  Church 
of  which  she  is  a  member.  When  coming  from  a  train- 
ing institution  or  Home,  she  must  also  be  recommended 
by  the  superintendent  or  manager  of  the  same;  she  must 


Methodist  Church  in  America.  337 

have  given  two  years  of  continuous  probationary  service, 
and  have  passed  a  satisfactory  examination  by  the  Con- 
ference Board  as  to  religious  qualifications  and  in  the 
Course  of  Study  prescribed  for  deaconesses  by  the  bishops; 
and  she  must  present  a  certificate  of  good  health  from 
a  reputable  physician,  No  person  shall  be  recognized  or 
employed  as  a  deaconess  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
who  fails  to  comply  with  the  Disciplinary  requirements. 

4.  The  Conference  Board  may  license  women  thus  qual- 
ified and  recommended,  and  shall  arrange  for  their  con- 
secration as  deaconesses  according  to  the  order  of  services 
prescribed  by  the  Discipline  (App.,  Tf55),  and  shall  re- 
port each  year  the  names  and  work  of  such  deaconesses 
to  the  Annual  Conference  and  to  the  district  superin- 
tendent. 

5.  The  duties  of  the  deaconess  are  to  minister  to  the 
poor,  care  for  the  sick,  provide  for  the  orphans,  comfort 
the  sorrowing,  seek  the  wandering,  save  the  sinning,  and, 
relinquishing  all  other  pursuits,  devote  herself  to  these  and 
other  forms  of  Christian  labor.  No  vow  of  perpetual  serv- 
ice shall  be  exacted  from  any  deaconess.  She  shall  be  at 
liberty  to  relinquish  her  position  at  any  time;  but  while 
engaged  in  this  voluntary  service  she  shall  be  entitled  to 
a  suitable  support.  She  shall  also  wear  the  distinctive 
costume  prescribed  by  the  Conference  Board  or  the  Home 
with  which  she  is  connected,  and  it  is  recommended  that 
this  garb  shall  be  as  uniform  as  practicable  throughout 
the  Church. 

6.  Each  deaconess  not  in  a  Home  shall  be  under  the 
direction  of  the  pastor  of  the  Church  in  which  she  is  at 
work ;  but  those  who  are  members  of  a  Home  shall  be  sub- 
ordinate to  and  directed  by  the  superintendent  in  charge. 
All  others  shall  be  under  the  direction  of  the  district  su- 
perintendent. 

22 


338         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

7.  When  a  deaconess  is  transferred  from  the  bounds 
of  one  Conference  to  those  of  another,  she  shall  receive  a 
certificate  of  transfer  from  the  Conference  Board  within 
whose  jurisdiction  she  is  transferred,  which  Board  shall 
register  her  name  and  take  the  oversight  of  her  work. 
Transfers  to  and  within  the  bounds  of  a  Conference  shall 
be  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Conference  Board. 

8.  The  approval  of  the  Annual  Conference  within 
whose  bounds  a  deaconess  is  laboring  shall  be  necessary 
for  her  continuance  in  office,  and  she  shall  present  an- 
nually to  the  Conference  Board  a  certificate  of  character 
and  standing  from  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  the  Church 
with  which  she  is  connected. 

9.  The  superintendents  of  Deaconess  Institutions,  all 
societies  and  Churches  employing  deaconesses  not  mem- 
bers of  a  Home,  shall  report  the  names  and  work  of  the 
deaconesses  in  their  charge  to  the  Conference  Board  one 
month  before  the  meeting  of  the  Annual  Conference. 

10.  The  provisions  of  this  chapter  shall  not  disturb 
existing  Homes  or  institutions  now  being  operated  for 
Deaconess  Work;  nor  exclude  any  societies  or  associations 
now  engaged  in  Deaconess  Work,  but  authorizes  any  of 
these  to  employ  deaconesses  and  establish  and  operate 
Homes  and  institutions  for  the  Deaconess  work  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  according  to  the  provisions 
of  this  chapter. 

11.  Every  Churcli  and  benevolent  society  employing 
deaconesses,  Deaconess  Institutions,  and  deaconesses  not 
employed  by  any  of  them,  shall  make  annual  reports,  em- 
bracing such  items  as  the  district  superintendent  shall 
indicate. 

12.  All  proj^erty  for  Homes  and  other  Deaconess  In- 
stitutions that  may  hereafter  be  acquired  shall  be  held  in 
trust  for  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  by  any  of  the 


Methodist  Church  in  America.  339 

Disciplinary  societies  of  the  Church  or  a  local  Board  of 
Trustees  elected  by  the  society  with  which  the  institution 
is  connected. 

13.  The  foregoing  provisions  shall  relate  to  Annual 
Conferences,  and  also  to  Mission  Conferences  and  Mis- 
sions, except  in  those  parts  of  Europe  in  which  the  Dea- 
coness Work  exists  as  a  legal  corporation  with  an  inspector 
appointed  by  the  Annual  Conference;  but  where  Mission- 
ary Bishops  have  co-ordinate  authority  they  shall  exercise 
the  same  powers  as  are  committed  to  the  General  Board  of 
Deaconesses. 

Although  the  entire  Deaconess  Work  in  the  United 
States  has  been  placed  under  the  control  of  the  Board  of 
Bishops,  as  is  evident  from  the  foregoing  paragraphs,  four 
branches  have  developed  which  differ  from  each  other, 
in  reference  to  their  inner  organization :  ( 1 )  The  insti- 
tutions of  the  German  Methodists  in  the  United  States, 
which  are  under  the  supervision  of  the  German  Central 
Deaconess  Board;  (2)  The  institutions  governed  by  Local 
Boards,  and  whose  deaconesses  belong  mostly  to  the  Dea- 
coness Society;  (3)  The  institutions  under  the  supervision 
of  the  Deaconess  Bureau  of  the  Woman's  Home  Mission- 
ary Society;  (4)  The  institutions  belonging  to  the  Beth- 
anien  Verein  and  the  Martha-Maria  Verein  in  Europe. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Deaconess  Society. 

This  association  was  organized  in  1895,  five  years  prior 
to  the  General  Conference  legislation  of  1900  concerning 
Deaconess  Work.  The  primary  object  of  the  organization 
was  to  form  a  bond  of  union  between  deaconess  workers  in 
various  fields  of  labor;  also  to  hold  property  for  the  care  of 
disabled  deaconesses.  The  society  was  also  formed  into 
a  corporation  to  hold  property  until  such  property  could 
be  placed  under  the  management  of  a  Local  Board,     In 


340  HlSTOKY   OF   THE   DeACONESS   MOVEMENT. 

this  way  it  has  been  instrumental  in  opening  hospitals, 
orphanages,  and  schools.  The  headquarters  of  the  society 
are  at  57  Washington  Street,  Chicago,  111. 

Deaconess  Bureau  of  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary 

Society. 

The  work  is  in  charge  of  the  Deaconess  Bureau,  which 
consists  of  a  secretary  and  assistant  secretary,  a  field  secre- 
tary— who  visits  all  the  Homes,  giving  them  the  benefit 
of  her  advice,  and  learns  the  needs  of  each  Home — an 
advisory  counsel  of  gentlemen,  and  several  field  deacon- 
esses. There  are  also  two  women  from  each  locality  where 
a  Deaconess  Home  is  established  who  have  membership 
in  the  Bureau,  and  the  deaconesses  themselves  are  given 
representation  in  the  management.  Quarterly  reports 
from  the  different  Homes  are  forwarded  to  the  secretary 
of  the  Bureau,  giving  a  full  statement  of  the  condition 
of  these  Homes,  and  are  kept  on  file.  Financial  reports 
are  made  at  the  end  of  each  fiscal  year;  and  connec- 
tional  supervision  is  maintained  by  a  system  of  transfers 
from  Home  to  Home,  and  by  the  appointment  of  the  grad- 
uates of  the  National  Training-school  to  the  several  Homes. 
Secretary  of  the  Deaconess  Bureau  is  Mrs.  Jane  M.  Ban- 
croft Eobinson,  425  Cass  Avenue,  Detroit,  Mich. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

DEACONESS  HOMES  OF  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL 
CHUECH  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

The  Chicago  Deaconess  Home  and  Training-school. 

In  October,  1885,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meyer  rented  a  house 
in  Chicago  (19  Park  Avenue),  and  opened  the  Chicago 
Training-school  for  Missions.  In  a  short  time  tlie  accom- 
modations proved  insufficient,  and  the  Board  of  Trustees 
that  had  been  organized  purchased  a  building  on  the 
corner  of  Ohio  and  Dearborn  Streets.  This  Home  (a 
cut  of  which  is  shown)  is  the  cradle  of  the  Deaconess 
Work  in  the  United  States.  Previous  to  this  time  efforts 
had  been  limited  to  a  training-school,  but  in  these  new 
quarters  the  work  widened,  including  the  Deaconess  Home. 
The  change  was  thus  brought  about :  At  the  close  of 
the  second  year  the  inmates  of  the  institution  declared 
their  willingness  to  devote  themselves  during  the  sum- 
mer to  city  mission  work.  In  his  Commencement 
address,  Professor  C.  F.  Bradley  said,  among  other 
things:  "In  large  cities  better  opportunities  to  work  for 
the  Lord  are  often  offered  in  summer  than  in  winter. 
This  fact,  in  connection  with  the  desire  that  .this  building 
might  not  be  closed  during  the  coming  months,  has  deter- 
mined us  to  open  a  Deaconess  Home,  at  least  during  the 
vacation.  We  will  employ  such  deaconesses  as  are  adapted 
to  city  mission  work  and  are  willing  to  devote  themselves 
to  it.  They  will  receive  no  remuneration,  excepting  that 
their  wants  will  be  provided  for.  Any  deaconess  will  be 
at  liberty  to  withdraw  whenever  she  wishes;  but  as  long 
as  she  remains  in  the  Home  she  is  expected  to  be  subject 

341 


A 


First  Deaconess  Home  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal,  Church 

IN  the  United  States. 

Oorner  Ohio  and  Dearborn  Sts.,  Chicago. 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  iS'tates.       343 

to  its  rules  and  regulations.  We  have  no  doubt  that  this 
undertaking  will  be  the  germ  of  blessed  results.  It  is,  of 
course,  a  small  beginning;  but  a  mustard-seed  is  also  a 
small  thing.  We  shall  plant  it,  and  trust  to  the  Lord 
that  he  will  bestow  the  necessary  rain  and  sunshine,  so 
that  it  may  develop.  There  is  much  misery  in  large  cities, 
and  the  Church  has  made  comparatively  little  use  of  fe- 
male help  in  the  city  mission-work.  Women  have  been 
waiting  patiently;  and  how  strange  it  is  that  we  have  no 
plan  according  to  which  talented  and  pious  women  could 
devote  their  time  and  strength  to  the  service  of  the  Church ! 
And  how  seldom  is  the  private  work  of  women  recognized ! 
How  is  it  that  the  Church  has  made  no  provision  in  its 
Discipline  for  such  female  workers?  There  were  times 
in  Chicago  when  it  paid  to  invest  money  in  real  estate. 
A  man  could  put  $500  into  property  that  might  be  worth 
a  million  in  a  few  years.  Such  opportunities  are  offered 
at  present  in  the  field  of  Christian  benevolence.  A  few 
thousand  dollars  invested  in  a  Deaconess  Home  would 
bear  a  high  rate  of  interest,  and  some  of  my  hearers,  who 
may  now  reject  the  opportunity  thus  to  invest,  will  prob- 
ably regret  in  the  world  to  come  that  they  had  golden 
opportunities  to  do  good  which  they  neglected.  There  is 
a  great  opening  in  the  Church  of  the  present  day.  We  need 
a  Deaconess  Home,  and  I  am  confident  that  we  shall  have 
one.  There  are  in  our  times  such  deaconesses  as  Tryphasna 
and  Tryphosa,  who  have  labored  much  in  the  Lord,  and 
we  shall  also  find  our  Priscillas  and  Marys,  who  will  shun 
no  self-denial  in  working  for  the  Lord.  May  God  show 
us  how  we  can  open  new  paths  of  usefulness  to  our  saintly 
women !" 

Eight  women  remained  in  the  institution  and  began 
work  as  deaconesses.  They  distributed  tracts,  brought 
children  to   Sunday-school;   invited   strangers  to   Church, 


344 


HiSTOKY   OF   THE   DeACONESS    MOVEMENI^. 


visited  the  sick  and  about  three  thousand  families,  mostly 
in  those  parts  of  the  city  inhabited  by  the  laboring  classes. 
Good  people  provided  the  means  needed  to  carry  on  this 
work,  and  when  the  vacation  came  to  an  end  a  balance  of 
$6.40  remained  in  the  treasury.     Dr.  Meyer  wrote :  "This 

work  encouraged 
us,  and  we  imme- 
diately planned  to 
carry  it  on  with- 
out interruption. 
The  deaconesses 
were  willing  to 
continue  in  their 
relation,  but  the 
pupils  of  the 
school  were  com- 
ing in,  and  we 
needed  more  room. 
Trusting  the  Lord 
for  pecuniary  aid, 
we  rented  rooms 
in  the  vicinity  of 
the  school,  and 
moved  the  Home 
into  these  rooms. 
Miss  Isabella  Tho- 
burn,  the  sister  of 
Bishop  J.  M.Thoburn,vas  the  first  Tiouse  mother.'  Dr.  J.S. 
Meyer  was  superintendent  of  both  the  Deaconess  Home  and 
the  training-school.  As  accommodations  were  soon  want- 
ing, the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  training-school  purchased 
the  property  referred  to  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter, 
and  began  the  erection  of  a  new  building.  Soon  after,  the 
adjacent  house  was  also  purchased,  for  $12,000,  and  added 


N.  W.  Harris. 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  6'tates.       345 


to  the  Home.  Thus  the  training-school  and  the  Dea- 
coness Home  were  both  provided  for.  When,  in  1894,  there 
was  again  need  for  more  room,  Mr.  N.  W.  Harris,  the 
well-known  philanthropist,  donated  a  large  and  convenient 
lot  (corner  Indiana  Avenue  and  Fifteenth  Street),  and 
through  his  liberality  and  that  of  other  friends  the 
first  wing  of  the  beautiful  new  building  was  erected  in 
1895,  which  provided  room  for  one  hundred  and  thirty 
pupils.     In  1899  the  second  wing  was  erected,  and  con- 


Chicago  Deaconess  Training-school,  "  Harris  Hall." 

nected  with  the  first  by  means  of  a  wide  archway.  Each 
of  these  wings  is  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  feet  long 
and  forty  feet  wide,  and  they  contain  four  hundred  rooms 
in  all.  We  present  a  cut  of  the  building.  The  second 
wing  was  erected  principally  through  a  donation  of  $25,000 
by  Mr.  Harris.  The  plan  is  to  erect  a  third  wing  as  soon 
as  the  funds  will  permit.  In  the  school  nearly  two  thou- 
sand young  ladies  have  received  their  training.  Of  this 
number,  one  hundred  and  sixty  have  entered  the  mission 
service,  over  seven  hundred  have  entered  deaconess  work, 


S46         History  op  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

and  one  hundred  and  fifty  are  employed  in  various  ways 
in  home  mission  work. 

In  passing,  we  will  notice  briefly  the  life  of  the  man 
whose  work  will  never  be  adequately  known  nor  told  on 
earth.  In  Chicago  alone  the  Deaconess  Movement,  in  its 
various  departments,  is  using  property  with  an  aggregate 
value  of  about  $4G0,000.  The  hand  of  Rev.  Josiah  Shelly 
Meyer  can  be  traced  as  securing  almost  every  dollar's 
worth  of  this  property.  To  him,  more  than  to  any  other 
man,  belongs  the  credit  for  the  great  material  prosperity 
of  the  rapidly-growing  Deaconess  Work. 

Josiah  Shelley  Meyer  was  born  in  N'orthern  Pennsyl- 
vania in  1849.  His  ancestors  were  German-Swiss,  and  he 
is  remotely  connected  with  the  great  commentator  Meyer. 
His  great-grandfather  founded,  and  for  many  years  was 
pastor  of,  the  Moravian  Church  in  Germantown,  Pa.,  the 
building  still  standing  as  one  of  the  landmarks  of  the  city. 
Young  Meyer's  parents  were  farmers,  and  though  they 
moved  to  Philadelphia  when  the  boy  was  fourteen  years 
of  age,  their  financial  circumstances  were  straitened,  and 
they  were  not  able  to  give  their  son  the  education  which 
he  so  greatly  desired.  From  the  first  of  their  residence 
in  Philadelphia  the  boy  was  self-supporting,  and  very  soon 
began  to  contribute  to  the  support  of  the  family.  The 
insatiable  desire  for  an  education  drove  him  to  night- 
school  and  private  study.  He  learned  book-keeping,  and 
later  the  details  of  a  publishing-house,  which  experience 
has  been  of  great  value  to  him  in  his  life  work.  Soon 
after  attaining  his  majority  he  came  West,  and  spent  sev- 
eral 3^ears  alternately  studying  and  working.  He  attended 
Park  College,  in  Kansas  City,  until  ill-health  and  lack  of 
means  interfered  with  his  studies.  His  last  school  work 
was  done  in  the  Northwestern  Theological  Seminary  of 
Chicago. 


Rev.  J.  S.  Meyer, 


B48         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Mr.  Meyer  was  converted  at  the  knee  of  his  godly 
mother,  whose  interest  in  the  spiritual  welfare  of  her 
children  was  most  keen.  He  tells  how,  on  coming  in  late 
at  night  from  his  work  or  his  school,  he  would  find,  not 
only  his  chair  drawn  up  by  the  fire,  but  an  open  Bible  on 
a  little  table  by  its  side.  His  mother  had  placed  it  there 
to  catch  his  eyes.  From  almost  the  first  his  mind  turned 
to  Christian  work.  For  some  time  he  was  engaged  in 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  work.  Then,  in  ISSS, 
after  his  marriage,  he  devoted  himself,  with  his  wife,  to 
the  rapidly-growing  necessities  of  the  Chicago  Training- 
school  and  the  general  Deaconess  Work  in  the  Church. 
So  profoundly  has  Mr.  Meyer  been  influenced  by  the  great 
need  of  Christian  workers,  and  the  very  evident  fact  that 
by  unsalaried  work  it  is  possible  to  keep  more  laborers 
in  the  field,  that,  with  his  wife,  he  has  for  more  than 
sixteen  years  worked  entirely  without  a  salary.  Both  of 
these  workers  rejoice  that  it  has  been  possible  for  them 
to  give  their  whole  time  to  the  blessed  work.  It  means 
much  of  inspiration  to  the  growing  hosts  of  deaconesses 
that  almost  all  the  persons  who  have  thus  providentially 
stood  at  the  head  of  the  work  in  this  country  have  been 
so  situated  that  they  could  serve  without  salary.  It  is 
easier  to  say  "Come"  than  "Go.'^  Mr.  Meyer  is  superin- 
tendent of  the  Chicago  Training-school,  and  also  has  en- 
tire control  of  the  business  interests  of  the  large  depart- 
ments of  Deaconess  Work  and  the  Chicago  Deaconess 
Home,  which,  as  has  been  stated,  is  connected  with  the 
training-school,  and  is  the  mother  of  all  Deaconess  Homes 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States. 
Its  history  is,  therefore,  intimately  related  to  that  of  the 
training-school,  and  until  1895  both  institutions  were  lo- 
cated almost  under  the  same  roof,  although  in  separate 
quarters.    During  the  Christmas  vacation  of  that  year  the 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.       349 

training-school  was  removed  to  the  newly-erected  building, 
^^Harris  Hall,"  distant  about  five  miles.  The  Home,  with 
twenty  deaconesses  and  probationers,  is  still  located  at  the 
old  place  on  Ohio  Street.  Miss  Isabel  Leitch  is  head  dea- 
coness. She  is  a  very  efficient  woman  in  every  way.  The 
property  is  free  of  debt,  and  valued  at  $20,000.  (See  pic- 
ture on  page  345.) 

..        The  Deaconess  Sanitarium,  Lake  Bluff,  III. 
■^f  '  Agard  Eest  Home. 

!^.".  ^ 

;t.^^^^^^^^^  Home  is  beautifully  situated  on  the  western  shore 

ol'Jjake  Michigan,  thirty  miles  from  Chicago.  It  was 
donated  by  a  noble  lady,  Mrs.  Rosa  Agard  West,  whose 
father^^^J.  W.  Agard,  was  an  influential  clergyman.  Mrs. 
West  alw^ays  manifested  a  lively  interest  in  the  Deaconess 
Movement.  The  thought  occurred  to  her  that  the  dea- 
conesses^ needed  a  quiet  place  where  they  could  rest  from 
time  to  time  or  recuperate  after  sickness.  In  the  fall  of 
1892  she,  therefore,  opened  the  beautiful  Home,  containing 
twenty-five  rooms  and  provided  with  all  necessary  con- 
veniences. This  was  done  in  memory  of  her  father.  The 
Home  has  a  small  endowment  fund,  which  is  increased 
from  year  to  year  by  benevolent  friends.  This  Home  is 
intended  to  be  eventually  an  asylum  for  all  deaconesses 
who  have  sacrificed  their  strength  in  the  service  of  their 
fellow-men.  Three  deaconesses  are  employed  in  the  in- 
stitute. 

The  Deaconess  Orphanage  in  Lake  Bluff,  III., 
Was  founded  in  1894.  A  philanthropic  gentleman,  Mr.  J. 
B.  Hobbs,  and  his  noble  wife,  Mary  M.  Hobbs,  donated  the 
beautiful  building,  which  was  opened  in  1895.  Since  its 
organization  between  four  hundred  and  five  hundred  chil- 
dren have  been  received  and  provided  for.  This  insitution 
is  to  be  reconstructed  on  the  cottage  plan.     Thirteen  chil- 


350 


HiSTOEY   OF   THE   DeACONESS   MOVEMENT. 


dren  will  reside  in  a  cottage,  and  constitute  a  family,  under 
the  supervision  of  a  deaconess.  Mrs.  Hobbs  has  again  do- 
nated a  large  plot  of  ground.  The  plant  consists  of  five 
houses — three  of  them  large — and  two  cottages.  The  value 
of  the  property  amounts  to  $40,000.  The  incorporate 
name  of  the  institution  is  "Methodist  Deaconess  Orphan- 
age.^^    Mr.  N.  W.  Harris  has  aided  the  good  work  by  the 


Agard  Deaconess  Sanitarium,  Lake  Bluff,  Iiiii. 

purchase  of  the  "kindergarten  cottage/'  which  affords  room 
for  twelve  children.  A  union  of  the  orphanage  and  the 
Epworth  Children's  Home  was  brought  about  lately,  in 
consequence  of  which  the  number  of  the  inmates  has  in- 
creased to  one  hundred.  The  orphanage  places  about  thirty 
children  every  year  in  Christian  homes  and  families.  The 
location  is  charming,  and  friends  of  the  cause  are  anxious 
to  see  the  results  of  the  cottage-plan  experiment, 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.       351 

The  Deaconess  Home  foti  Old  People  in  Edgewater^ 
Illinois^ 

A  suburb  of  Chicago,  was  opened  in  February,  1898, 
in  a  rented  house.  A  benevolent  gentleman,  the  late  Mr. 
W.  H.  Bush,  donated  a  fine  lot,  on  which  the  first  part  of 
the  building  was  erected  in  1901,  which,  when  completed, 
will  cost  $100,000,  and  will  have  room  for  two  hundred 
and  fifty  persons.     At  his  death,  Mr.  Bush  left  the  insti- 


^^S^pL&^^?L£^Mm 


The  Proposed  Deaconess  Home  for  OiiD  People 
IN  Edgewater,  111. 

tution  $30,000.  At  present,  the  part  completed  affords 
accommodation  for  seventy-five  inmates.  The  history  of  the 
Home  is  interesting.  In  1893  a  deaconess  of  the  Chicago 
Home  found  an  aged  and  pious  woman,  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  abject  poverty  and  con- 
fined to  her  bed  by  sickness.  Her  only  son,  a  confirmed 
drunkard,  had  dissipated  all  her  means.  The  deaconess 
brought  her  to  the  Home,  where  she  was  cared  for  until 


352 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


her  death.  Similar  cases  were  met  with  by  the  deaconesses, 
and  it  soon  became  evident  that  an  asylum  for  friendless 
old  people  was  needed.  The  institution  is  manged  by  dea- 
conesses, and  the  intention  is  to  make  it  a  central  Home 
for  the  entire  Northwest.  This  Home  was  the  first  of  its 
kind  in  ]\Iethodism  in  the  Northwest,  excepting  a  Swedish 
Home  at  Ravenswood.     Churches  can  place  their  aged  and 


Young  Woman's  School,  in  Aurora,  Ilx,. 


dependent  members  in  the  Home  for  an  admission  fee  of 
$300,  which  secures  a  home  for  life,  care,  and  burial  when 
not  otherwise  provided  for.  This  institution  is  a  worthy 
memorial  of  the  philanthropist,  Mr.  W.  H.  Bush. 

Young    Woman^s    School    (Jennings    Seminary)    in 
Aurora^  III.^ 

Is  the  only  literary  institution  for  girls  in  the  United 
States  conducted  by  our  deaconesses.     Formerly  the  school 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.       353 


was  a  promising  Conference  seminary,  but  in  1898  it  was 
transferred  to  the  Deaconess  Association  by  the  Rock  River 
Conference.  The  principal,  Charlotte  A.  Codding,  is  as- 
sisted by  ten  teachers,  all  deaconesses.  The  property  has 
a  value  of  $50,000.  The  attendance  is  large,  and  the  school 
is  successful  in  every  respect. 

The  Chaddock  Boys'  Institute  in  Quincy^  III. 

An  educational  institution  called  Chaddock  College, 
having  sixty-four  rooms,  with  a  chapel  attached,  is  under 
the  control  of  an  independent  local  Board,  and  the  Chicago 
Deaconess  Training-school  furnishes  the  workers.  The 
school  was  opened  September  20,  1900,  with  Sister 
Eleanore  Tobie  as  principal.  The  instructors  are  all  dea- 
conesses, and  the  property  represents  a  value  of  $100,000. 

The  Wesley  Hospital^ 

In  Chicago,  was  incorporated  in  1888.  Previous  to  the 
erection  of  the  building,  its  patients  were  cared  for  in  the 
Chicago  Deaconess 
Home,  on  Ohio 
Street.  This  hospi- 
tal, therefore,  was 
the  first  in  America 
under  the  charge  of 
deaconesses  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  In  1892 
a      N"  0  n  -  deaconess 

Training-school  for  ^^^  ..  wesi^ijy"  Hospitai.  in  Chicago. 
nurses  was  organ- 
ized, and  the  work  became  non-deaconess  in  character.  But 
in  1899  it  was  again  put  into  the  hands  of  deaconesses  for 
work  and  management.  The  property,  however,  is  con- 
23 


354        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

trolled  by  a  Board  of  thirty  trustees,  independent  of  the 
Deaconess  Home.  The  building  was  completed  in  1901. 
It  affords  room  for  two  hundred  beds,  and  is  provided  with 
all  modern  appliances.  It  cost  $225,000,  and  the  endow- 
ment amounts  to  $100,000.  This  is  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful and  best-arranged  Deaconess  Hospitals  in  America. 

The  Elizabeth  Gamble  Deaconess  Home  and  Christ 

Hospital,  in  Cincinnati,  0. 

i' 

On  December  23,  1888,  a  number  of  persons  met  in 
Cincinnati  to  consult  in  reference  to  founding  a  Deaconess 
Home.  The  Gamble  family  offered  a  large  building  on 
York  Street,  free  of  rent,  and  also  a  liberal  sum  in  cash. 
The  institution  was  opened  in  a  quiet  manner,  and  Miss 
Isabella  Thoburn,  who  had  been  house-mother  of  the  first 
Deaconess  Home  in  the  United  States,  was  elected 
head  deaconess.  Though  against  the  wish  of  the  Gam- 
ble family,  but  in  memory  of  the  deceased  mother,  the 
Board  named  the  institution  "Elizabeth  Gamble  Deaconess 
Home."  The  hospital  very  appropriately  was  called 
"Christ  Hospital."  Several  years  afterward  the  Gamble 
family  bought  a  beautiful  property  on  Mount  Auburn,  con- 
taining four  and  one-half  acres,  with  a  large  building  of 
seventy  rooms,  which  had  been  used  as  a  female  seminary. 
In  addition  to  this  large  building,  which  was  remodeled 
at  great  expense  and  converted  into  a  hospital,  several  other 
houses  stood  on  the  ground,  and  they  were  converted  into 
homes  for  the  deaconesses  and  probationers.  The  institu- 
tion stands  on  the  hilltop,  nearly  four  hundred  feet  above 
the  city,  and  the  panorama  which  unfolds  itself  to  the  eye 
is  unequaled  in  the  State  of  Ohio.  The  property  is  valued 
at  $120,000,  and  is  free  of  debt.  The  endowment  fund 
aggregates  $50,000.     Mr.  James  N.  Gamble,  known  as  one 


356         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

of  the  most  liberal  citizens  of  the  "Queen  City,"  as  a  true 
steward,  puts  to  the  best  use  the  talents  intrusted  to  him. 
Mr.  Gamble  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  August  9,  1836. 
His  parents  had  emigrated  from  Ireland.  They  were 
zealous  members  of  the  Methodist  Church  all  their  lives. 

The  father,  James 
Gamble,  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  large 
soap  factory  in  Ivory- 
dale,  near  Cincinnati, 
owned  by  the  firm  of 
Procter  &  Gamble. 
James  N".  Gamble,  the 
oldest  son,  together 
with  his  brothers  and 
sisters  enjoyed  the  ben- 
efits of  an  exemplary 
Christian  home  and  of 
a  good  education.  Hav- 
ing spent  six  years  in 
K  e  n  y  0  n  College,  in 
Gambier,  0.,  he  grad- 
uated in  his  eighteenth 
year    (1854).     During 

James  N.  Gamble.  :"  ,       _  . 

his  travels  abroad  m 
the  following  year  he  received,  while  in  London,  the  wit- 
ness of  his  sonship,  and  his  whole  later  life  was  character- 
ized by  faithfulness  to  convictions,  unstinted  generosity, 
and  a  sincere  Christian  consecration.  Having  devoted  two 
or  three  years  to  the  study  of  chemistry  in  New  York  and 
Baltimore,  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Procter  & 
Gamble,  and  gradually  advanced  until  he  became  one  of 
the  leading  members  of  the  firm.  It  was  mainly  due  to 
his  genius  that  "Ivory  Soap"  was  brought  to  its  present 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.       357 

state  of  perfection.  From  the  very  beginning  of  the  Dea- 
coness Work  in  Cincinnati  he  manifested  a  marked  interest 
in  every  phase  of  the  work,  and,  consequently,  he  is  rightly 
looked  upon  as  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  Deaconess  Work 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  united  with  his 
brothers  and  sisters  in  the  purchase  of  the  above-mentioned 
property  in  Mount  Auburn  for  a  Deaconess  Home  and. Hos- 
pital, which  was  to  be  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  his 
sainted  mother,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Gamble;  and  later  he  like- 
wise purchased  the  beautiful  edifice  known  as  "The  Cincin- 
nati Wesleyan  College  for  Young  Women,'^  situated  on 
Wesley  Avenue,  Cincinnati.  This  property  he  still  holds  in 
his  name,  but  it  is  occupied  by  the  Elizabeth  Gamble  Dea- 
coness Home,  free  of  rent. 

Miss  Hannah  M.  Peirce  has  been  superintendent  since 
1893.  Her  father,  a  farmer,  having  determined  to  give 
his  children — a  son  and  two  daughters — a  good  education, 
placed  them  with  relatives  in  the  city,  that  they  might 
enjoy  the  school  facilities  offered  there.  The  oldest  daugh- 
ter, following  in  the  footsteps  of  her  forefathers,  chose  the 
profession  of  teaching.  She  was  gifted,  and  had  a  thirst 
for  knowledge.  However,  when  she  had  graduated  from 
the  Normal  School  and  obtained  a  license  to  teach^  the 
Civil  War  broke  out,  and  her  only  brother  enlisted 
in  the  army.  The  two  sisters  were  now  compelled  to 
manage  the  farm.  In  connection  with  their  work,  they 
taught  in  country  schools.  The  w^ages  earned  they  de- 
posited in  the  bank  with  a  view  of  surprising  their  brother 
on  his  return.  The  latter  also  sent  his  wages  home  regu- 
larly, $16  a  month.  When,  after  an  absence  of  three 
years  he  returned,  he  was  surprised  to  learn  that  the  farm 
was  free  of  debt  and  that  $2,000  was  deposited  in  the  bank 
in  his  name.  This  mutual  devotion  united  the  brother  and 
sisters   firmlv  for  the   remainder  of  their  lives.     x4t  the 


358        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


close  of  the  war  the  brother  and  younger  sister  married, 
but  Hannah  continued  to  devote  herself  to  teaching,  for 
which  she  had  a  passionate  love.  She  accepted  a  call  to 
the  principalship  of  a  ladies'  seminary  in  Delaware,  0., 
and  continued  in  this  capacity  for  twenty-two  years.  She 
was  happy  in  her  chosen  profession  and  beloved  by  her 
pupils.     When,  early   in  the  nineties,   Deaconess   Homes 


Miss  Hannah  M.  Peiroe. 


Mrs.  Katie  Rawls  Haynes. 


were  founded,  her  attention  was  called  to  the  new  move- 
ment, in  which  she  now  became  intensely  interested.  When, 
in  1893,  she  received  a  call  to  the  superintendency  of  the 
Elizabeth  Gamble  Deaconess  Home,  she  accepted  it.  She 
is  still  at  the  head  of  this  institution,  and  finds  a  pleasure 
in  setting  an  example  of  self-denial  to  the  deaconesses, 
even  in  the  smallest  matters  pertaining  to  daily  life. 

Until  1897  the  two  institutions — the  Elizabeth  Gamble 
Deaconess  Home  and  Christ  Hospital — were  carried  on  in 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.       359 

one  building,  and  Miss  Peirce  sujoerintended  both.  In  that 
year  James  N".  Gamble  purchased  the  Wesleyan  Female 
College,  situated  about  three  miles  from  the  hospital  on 
Mt.  Auburn,  in  a  densely-settled  part  of  the  city.  The 
Deaconess  Home  was  transferred  to  these  commodious 
halls,  and  the  buildings  on  Mount  Auburn  are  now  used 
exclusively  for  hospital  purposes.  All  Sisters  enter  the 
Deaconess  Home  on  probation,  and  receive  instruction  in 
the  branches  prescribed  by  the  Discipline.  At  the  end  of 
one  year  the  deaconesses  who  are  adapted  to  nursing  are 
transferred  to  Christ  Hospital,  where  they  receive  prac- 
tical instruction  in  that  branch,  whereas  those  who  are  best 
adapted  to  general  missionary  work  or  to  teaching,  con- 
tinue their  studies  in  the  Home  for  another  year.  The 
Home  has  accommodations  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  in- 
mates, and  the  building,  which  originally  cost  $150,000, 
is  now  wholly  devoted  to  Deaconess  Work. 

Mrs.  Kate  Eawls  Haynes  is  head  deaconess.  She  was 
born  in  Wilmington,  0.,  and  received  her  education  in 
Connersville,  Ind.,  to  which  place  her  parents  removed. 
In  her  seventh  year  she  experienced  religion,  and,  with- 
out speaking  to  her  parents  about  it,  she  stepped  forward 
to  the  altar  one  Sunday  and  asked  to  be  admitted  to  the 
membership  of  the  Church.  Her  parents  were  pious  peo- 
ple, brought  up  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  When  nineteen 
years  old,  she  married ;  but  her  husband  soon  died,  and  she 
returned  to  her  former  home.  She  now  considered  the 
time  opportune  to  realize  the  long-cherished  desire  to  de- 
vote her  life  to  the  service  of  the  poor  and  forlorn,  and 
she,  therefore,  gladly  accepted  the  call  of  the  Woman's 
Home  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  to  become  the  corresponding  secretary  of  this  so- 
ciety for  the  Northeast  Indiana  Conference.     She  founded 


360 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.       361 

numerous  branch  societies,  delivered  addresses  in  the  inter- 
est of  the  cause,  and  inspired  the  members  toward  sys- 
tematic effort.  While  connected  with  a  society  for  aiding 
the  poor  in  Indianapolis,  she  often  came  in  contact  with 
the  most  degraded  classes,  and  thus  gathered  much  ex- 
perience valuable  to  her  in  her  later  calling.  When  she 
entered  the  Elizabeth  Gamble  Deaconess  Home  in  1898, 
her  heart  was  aglow  with  love  for  the  work.  The  Home 
took  up  station  after  station,  and  a  network  of  Christian 
benevolence  has  spread  over  the  city.  In  one  year  the  dea- 
conesses distributed  sixty-six  thousand  tracts  and  religious 
papers,  they  brought  three  hundred  and  fifty  children  into 
Sunday-school,  and  distributed  one  thousand  pieces  of 
clothing  and  many  a  basketful  of  eatables  among  the 
needy.  They  visited  the  poor-houses,  the  city  hospitals, 
and  the  prisons;  they  nursed  the  sick,  provided  the  unem- 
ployed with  work,  conducted  Sunday-schools,  kinder- 
gartens, "Travelers'  Aid"  work,  and  an  Italian  mission, 
which  is  very  promising.  Many  new  Homes  have  been 
provided  with  head  deaconesses  by  this  institution,  and 
in  various  cities  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Kentucky  its  in- 
mates are  employed  by  local  Churches.  The  Home  for 
Old  People  in  Yellow  Springs,  0.,  was  founded  by  Eev. 
H.  C.  Weakley,  for  twelve  years  the  efficient  corresponding 
secretary  of  this  Home. 

When  the  Elizabeth  Gamble  Deaconess  Home  cele- 
brated its  tenth  anniversary  it  numbered  seventy  deacon- 
esses and  had  a  property  valued  at  $140,000,  and  was  free 
of  debt.  The  annual  income  and  expenditure  is  $30,000. 
The  number  of  deaconesses  (probationers  included)  has 
decreased  to  fifty-five.  Eev.  W.  A.  Robinson,  D.  D.,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Cincinnati  Conference,  has  been  corresponding- 
secretary  since  September,  1901.  He  is  a  scholarly  and 
practical  man,  and  his  experience  is  wide  and  varied.     His 


362 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement, 


enthusiasm  for  the  Deaconess  Cause  makes  him  a  worthy 
successor  to  Dr.  H.  C.  Weakley,  who  now  is  superintendent 
of  the  Old  People's  Home  at  Yellow  Springs,  0. 

The  Lucy  Webb  Hayes  Deaconess  Home  and  National 
Training-school  in  Washington^  D.  C. 

This  institution  was  founded  in  1889  by  the  Woman's 
Home   Missionary  Society.     It  consists   of  three  depart- 


The  Luoy  Webb  Hayes  Deaconess  Home, 
Washington,  D.  O. 

ments,  viz.,  the  Deaconess  Home,  the  training-school,  and 
the  hospital,  all  under  the  same  governing  board.  The 
origin  of  the  institution  has  some  interesting  features. 
When  Mrs.  Lucy  Webb  Hayes,  wife  of  the  ex-President  of 
the  United  States,  was  buried,  the  suggestion  was  made 
that  a  monument  ought  to  be  erected  to  the  memory  of 
this  good  and  benevolent  woman  that  would  be  a  blessing 
to  the  living  and  of  a  more  lasting  character  than  one  of 
marble  or  granite.     In  the  capacity  of  president  of  the 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.       363 

Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society,  Mrs.  Hayes  had  inter- 
ested herself  in  tlie  welfare  of  her  fellow-men,  and  had 
sacrificed  time  and  money  in  the  interest  of  the  society. 
Its   directors,    therefore,    resolved    to    found    a    Deaconess 
Home  bearing  her  name.     In  answer  to  a  circular,  $4,000 
was  contributed  in  a  short  time.     The  sum,  however,  was 
not  sufficient  to  begin  an  undertaking  of  this  kind ;  there- 
fore, Mrs.  Jane  M.  Bancroft  Eobinson,  secretary  of  the 
Deaconess  Bureau,  took  the  matter  in  hand  and  communi- 
cated  her   plans   to   numerous   persons   belonging   to   the 
higher  classes  of  society  in  the  capital.     They  were  well  re- 
ceived, and  in  May,  1890,  the  institution  was  opened  tem- 
porarily in  a  building  in  F  Street,  offered  free  of  rent  by 
Susannah  Wheeler.     Eight  young  ladies  entered  the  serv- 
ice on  probation.     Mr.  Ephraim  ^^ash,  an  old  resident  of 
the  city,  was  so  delighted  with  the  undertaking  that  he 
donated    his    spacious    residence,    beautifully    situated    on 
Capitol  Street.     In  October,  1891,  the  deaconesses  moved 
into  this  building.     From  now  on  the  work  developed  so 
rapidly  that  in  the  course  of  a  year  a  second  building  had 
to  be  rented.    Additions  were  made  in  this  way  from  time 
to  time,  until  finally  the  institution  occupied  six  different 
buildings.     The  necessity  for  a  hospital   being  felt,   Mr. 
William  J.  Sibley,  in  1894,  donated  $10,000  for  this  pur- 
pose in  memory  of  his  deceased  wife,  Dorothea  Lowndes. 
The  building  which  was  erected  for  this  purpose  has  since 
been  enlarged,   and  is  called   Sibley  Hospital.     There  is 
room  in  it  for  one  hundred  patients,  and  the  arrangement 
of  the  house  is  a  model  one.     The  training-school  occupied 
the  same  building  with  the  Home,  but  the  accommodations 
soon   proved   insufficient,   and   a   large   adjoining   plat   of 
ground    was    purchased,    on    which    a    new    building   was 
erected  for  the  training-school,  called  "Eust  Hall."     The 
three  buildings  occujjy  the  greater  part  of  a  square,  and 


364 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement, 


the  property  is  valued  at  nearly  $200,000.  As  this  is  the 
only  Deaconess  Home  in  Washington,  the  drain  on  it  is 
great,  and  the  number  of  deaconesses  and  workers,  amount- 
ing to  sixty-eight,  are  not  sufficient  to  meet  the  demands. 
The  inner  government  of  the  three  departments  of  the 
institution  is  in  the  hands  of  a  local  committee,  but  the 
higher  authority  is  vested  in  the  Woman's  Home  Mission- 


SiBiiET  Memorial  Hospital,  Washington,  D.  O. 


ary  Society.  Eev.  Dr.  C.  W.  Gallagher  is  the  devoted  and 
able  dean  of  this  suite  of  institutions.  He  is  a  man  of 
profound  conviction  and  large  experience.  The  depart- 
ments of  work  are:  1.  J^ursing;  2.  Church  work;  3.  Con- 
ducting kindergartens  and  industrial  schools;  4.  Conduct- 
ing a  Bible  Institute  and  a  training-school.  The  course 
of  study  in  the  latter  extends  through  two  years.  Those 
who  have  completed  it  receive  a  certificate,  and  are  at 
liberty  to  enter  the  Deaconess  Home;  or  they  can  devote 


P.uaT  Tkaininh-school,,  Washingtox,  D.  O. 


■1 

%l 

■^m/tm 

Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in  Omaha,  Neb. 

(See  pages  382-3.) 


365 


366 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


themselves  to  nursing  unless  the  Woman's  Home  Mission- 
ary Society  assigns  them  a  different  field  of  labor.  During 
the  past  year  the  pupils  of  the  training-school  performed 
the  following  work^  aside  from  their  studies :  They  con- 
ducted seven  kinder- 
gartens, two  kitchen- 
gardens,  three  indus- 
trial  schools,  two 
mission  schools,  and 
a  number  of  meet- 
ings in  the  interest 
of  the  temperance 
cause.  The  train- 
ing-school, which  is 
very  prosperous,  is 
the  first  national  in- 
stitution of  the  kind 
founded  by  the 
Woman's  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society.  At 
present  the  training- 
schools  are  becoming 
an  important  depart- 
ment of  the  work  of 
the  society.  The 
schools  at  Washing- 
ton, San  Francisco, 
and  Kansas  City  are  the  three  National  training-schools, 
so  called  because  they  provide  workers  for  the  National  or- 
ganization, and  because  the  Board  of  Managers  makes 
special  appropriations  for  their  support,  has  a  special  over- 
sight over  them,  and,  in  accordance  with  its  own  rules,  as- 
signs their  graduates  to  the  work  of  the  society.  The  Na- 
tional training-schools  are  distinctly  special  objects  of  the 


Rev.  C.  W.  Gallaghkr,  D.  D. 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.       367 

responsible  care  of  the  National  society.  Local  training- 
schools  differ  from  the  National  training-schools  in  that 
the  former  arose  to  meet  local  needs  in  Conferences,  and 
are  largely  under  the  direction  of  the  Conference  in  which 
they  are  located.  The  Auxiliaries  of  the  Woman's  Home 
Missionary  Society  within  the  Conference  greatly  aid  in  the 
support  of  these  local  schools.  The  National  society  ap- 
propriates no  moneys  for  the  support  of  these  local  train- 
ing-schools. Of  such  are  the  schools  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
Grand  Eapids,  Mich.,  and  Des  Moines,  la. 

The  National  Training-school  and  Deaconess  Home  in 
Washington,  with  its  new  Kust  Hall,  with  Sibley  Hospital, 
and  a  strong  corps  of  Bible  and  medical  teachers,  offers 
special  opportunities  for  preparation  for  Christian  service. 
In  its  ample  and  well-arranged  courses  for  missionaries, 
home  and  foreign,  for  deaconesses,  either  nurse,  parish,  set- 
tlement, or  evangelistic,  for  kindergarten  and  domestic 
science  work  among  the  children  and  the  poor,  it  invites 
all  who  may  be  willing  to  enter  upon  any  of  these  different 
lines  of  service.  The  young  women  of  the  Church  never 
had  a  grander,  more  holy  and  hopeful  mission  opened  to 
them  than  the  Christian  service  for  which  the  training- 
school  and  the  Deaconess  Home  prepares  them. 

The  Deaconess  Home  and  Training-school  in  New 

York. 

This  institution  was  opened  in  1889  by  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  a  rented  house  on  Four- 
teenth Street.  The  object  is  to  prepare  young  women  for 
all  branches  of  home  and  foreign  mission  work.  After  com- 
pleting the  two  years'  course  of  study,  it  is  left  to  their  own 
choice  wdiether  or  not  to  enter  the  deaconess  service.  In 
consequence  of  this  elective  system,  the  training-school  soon 
became  prominent.     After  passing  the  required  examina- 


368 


IIlSTOUY    OF    THE    DeACOXESS    MOVEMENT. 


tion,  a  large  number  of  the  inmates  entered  the  Home, 
which  was  under  the  same  roof.  As  there  is  no  hospital 
connected  with  the  Home,  the  nurse  deaconesses  are  sent 
to  the  various  hospitals  for  training.  The  object  of  the 
Home  is  parish  work.  In  19C1  the  trustees  bought  a  large 
and  beautiful  five-story  house,  situated  on  Madison  Avenue 
and  Eighty-sixth  Street.     The  site  is  excellent;  it  is  pro- 


JJK-^C;o>Ni^oo   iiiOME   AND   '1  RAINING-SOHOOL,   NeW  YORK. 

Madison  Avenue  and  86th  Street. 

vided  with  modern  appliances,  and  the  property,  valued  at 
$100,000,  is  free  of  debt.  The  Methodists  of  New  York 
gave  a  million  dollars  as  their  share  in  the  Twentieth-cen- 
tury Thank-offering,  and  from  this  source  the  means  for 
the  payment  of  the  Deaconess  Home  were  derived.  The 
training-school  is  considered  a  part  of  the  Home,  and  the 
whole  is  managed  by  a  local  Board.  There  are  fifty-five 
deaconesses  (including  student  probationers)  in  the  Home. 
Last  year  the  deaconesses  succeeded  in  gathering  six  hun- 


Deaconess  Homes  ix  the  Uxited  States. 


369 


dred  children  into  Sunday-schools  and  in  making  thirty- 
nine  thousand  calls  in  the  down-town  district  of  the  city. 
Miss  Mary  E.  Lunn  is  superintendent. 


The  Deaconess  Home  and  Training-school  in 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

This  institution  was  founded  June  15,  1892,  by  the 
Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society,  and  opened  in  a  rented 
house  .on  Badford  Ave- 
nue. In  1897,  Elmira 
E.  Christian  donated 
the  present  beautiful 
Home  (238  President 
Street),  which  will 
meet  all  demands  for 
some  time  to  come. 
The  house  was  reno- 
vated and  enlarged  at 
an  expense  of  $3,691, 
and  a  kindergarten  was 
opened  in  another 
building,  also  presented 
by  the  noble  donor. 
The  training-school  is 
its  principal  feature, 
with  a  two  years'  course 
of  study.  There  is  no 
hospital  connected  with 
the  Home.     Those  dea- 


Deaooness  Home,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


conesses  who  select  nursing  receive  their  training  in  one  of 
the  hospitals  in  the  city.  The  property  is  valued  at 
$20,000,  and  is  leased  of  the  Church  Extension  Society. 
The  late  George  Barlow  contributed  $10,000  towards  an 
24 


370         History  of  the  Deaconess,  Movement. 

endowment.     There  are  twenty  deaconesses  employed,  in- 
cluding those  on  2:)robation. 

Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in  Boston^  Mass. 

Two  ladies  in  Boston,  Mrs.  J.  W.  Cushin  and  Mrs.  T.  C. 
Watkins,  came  into  possession  of  $150,  which  was  destined 
for  benevolent  purposes.  They  determined  to  use  the 
money  towards  the  founding  of  a  Deaconess  Home.  When, 
in  April,  1889,  the  matter-  was  brought  before  the  New 
England  Conference,  that  body  resolved  as  follows : 

'^Tn  view  of  the  fact  that  General  Conference  has  offi- 
cially recognized  the  Deaconess  Work  and  recommended 
the  founding  of  Homes,  and  since  this  recommendation 
has  called  the  attention  of  many  city  congregations  to  the 
movement,  with  the  result  that  a  number  of  Homes  have 
already  been  opened,  and  in  view  of  the  further  fact  that 
conditions  in  the  New  England  States  are  such  that  the 
systematic  work  of  Christian  women  is  sorely  needed ;  be  it 

'^Resolved,  That  we  recommend  the  founding  of  a  Dea- 
coness Home  and  Training-school  for  Boston  and  its 
suburbs  at  an  early  day." 

The  Conference  appointed  a  committee  of  seven  to  col- 
lect money  and  to  aid  in  the  founding  of  the  proposed 
Home.  A  number  of  friends  donated  respectable  sums,  and 
the  society,  which  had  been  organized  in  the  meanwhile, 
was  incorporated  under  the  name  "New  England  Deaconess 
Home  and  Training-school."  On  November  20,  1889,  the 
Home  was  opened  in  a  rented  house  in  East  Chester  Park. 
Miss  E.  Thoburn  became  head  deaconess.  However,  she 
soon  withdrew,  and  Miss  Mary  E.  Lunn  succeeded  her. 
The  latter  served  until  the  spring  of  1901,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Miss  E.  M.  Booker.  A  building  well  adapted 
for  the  purposes  of  the  institution  was  purchased  for  $8,000, 
and  within  two  years  the  property  was  free  of  debt.    When, 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.       371 


in  1896,  the  building  proved  too  small,  the  Board  pur- 
chased aji  adjoining  house,  and  the  two  departments  were 


■JMn.  Deacon Kss  IIumk  am)  IIuspital  in  Boston,  Mass. 


located  separately,  each  occujDying  its  own  building.     In 
a  short  time,  however,  the  need  of  more  room  was  again 


372 


History  of  the  Deacoxess  Movement. 


felt,  and  the  training-school  was  transferred  to  rented 
quarters,  and  the  two  other  buildings  (shown  in  the  cut) 
served  as  Home  and  hospital.  The  course  of  study  in  the 
training-school  extends  through  two  years.  Of  the  many 
hundred  young  ladies  trained  here,  some  are  stationed  in 
China,  Korea,  Japan,  India,  and  South  America;  others 
are  engaged  in  the  cities  of  our  own  country  as  deacon- 
esses, teachers, '  and  missionaries.  Almost  all  the  deacon- 
esses in  the  Home  are  graduates  from  the  training-school. 


The  Projected  Building  of  the  New  England  Deaconess 
Home  and  Hospital,  Boston,  Mass. 


The  hospital  was  begun  in  1896.  During  the  first  six 
years  over  twelve  hundred  patients  have  been  received. 
Twelve  prominent  physicians  of  Boston  constitute  the  hos- 
pital staff.  These,  as  well  as  the  deaconesses,  are  anxious 
to  see  the  new  hospital  erected  which  has  been  planned. 
In  the  fall  of  1900,  Eev.  T.  C.  Watkins,  D.  D.,  was  ap- 
pointed corresponding  secretary.  The  number  of  deacon- 
esses, including  probationers,  has  increased  to  twenty-five. 
A  small  monthly,  ^The  Christian  Deaconess  Home  Journal, 
has  been  issued  since  1891.  The  property  is  worth  $60,- 
000.    The  new  building  is  to  cost  $100,000. 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States. 


The  Rebecca  Deaconess  Home  and  x\sbury  Hospital 
IN  Minneapolis^  Minn. 

This  institution  was  begun  in  1891  by  appointing  two 
deaconesses  for  mission  work.  In  the  following  year  the 
opening  of  the  hospital  was  made  possible  through  a  gift 


ASBURY  HoSPITAIi  IN  MINNEAPOLIS,  MiNN. 

(First  Building.) 

of  $15,000  by  Mrs.  S.  H.  Knight.  The  Board  now  pur- 
chased the  Minnesota  Hospital  College  building  for  this 
purpose.  In  1893  the  institution  was  incorporated  under 
the  name  "Asbury  Methodist  Hospital  and  Rebecca  Dea- 
coness Home.''  There  is  room  in  the  hospital  for  forty 
beds,  and  the  deaconesses  reside  in  the  beautiful  Home  ad- 
joining.    In  February,  1895,  the  hospital  \yas  partly  de- 


374        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


stroyed  by  fire;  however,  no  one  was.  injured,  and  within 
a  few  months  it  was  reopened,  having  been  enlarged  and 
arranged  more  conveniently.  As  sufficient  accommoda- 
tions were  soon  found  to  be  lacking,  a  friend  donated  a  val- 
uable piece  of  property  on  Ninth  Avenue,  opposite  Elliott 
Park,  and  the  Board  decided  to  erect  a  new  hospital  build- 
ing, which  will  cost, 
when  finished,  $225,- 
nOO.  It  is  nearing 
completion,  and  will 
have  accommoda- 
tions for  two  hun- 
dred patients.  The 
appliances  are  mod- 
ern, and  the  hospital 
is  one  of  the  best  in 
the  Northwest.  In 
the  old  hospital  more 
than  five  thousand 
patients  have  been 
cared  for  during  the 
last  ten  years,  fifteen 
thousand  were  treated 
in  the  dispensary  connected  with  the  hospital,  and  over 
three  thousand  operations  were  23erformed.  Forty  dea- 
conesses and  probationers  are  connected  with  the  Home. 
Bishop  Isaac  Joyce  is  president,  and  Eev.  C.  F.  Sharpe 
financial  agent.  Miss  Sybil  C.  Palmer  is  superintend- 
ent of  the  Deaconess  Home,  and  Mrs.  Sarah  H. 
Knight  has  charge  of  the  hospital.  The  Hospital  and 
Home  Messenger,  a  quarterly,  is  published  by  the  institu- 
tion. The  Board  of  Control  consists  of  thirty-one  mem- 
bers, twenty-one  of  whom  are  laymen;  four  are  members 
of  the  Minnesota,  and  five  of  the  North  Minnesota  Con- 


Miss  Sybil  C.  Pax,meb. 


v-^ 


M'  ■^- 


376 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


ference.  The  bishop  residing  in  Minneapolis  is  ex-ofpcio 
chairman  of  the  Board.  The  institution  has  an  excellent 
organization,  and  the  Annual  Conferences  of  the  North- 
west are  proud  of  the  undertaking,  which  promises  great 
things  for  the  future. 

The  Deaconess  Home  in  Baltimore^  Md. 

This  institution  was  opened  in  1892  by  the  Woman^s 
Home  Missionary  Society,  by  employing  two  deaconesses, 
who  occupied  rooms  in  a  private  house.     Two  years  later 

a  house  was  bought  on 


West  Lombard   Street, 
A        1  which,  in  1894,  was  oc- 

Ja^    '  cupied  by  five  deacon- 

^^^^W|  esses,    who   were   en- 

'^^^^E  g^g^d    mostly    in    city 

^^^^^  mission  work.     They 

soon  learned  that  in 
the  Bohemian  quarter 
success  could  be  as- 
sured only  through  sys- 
tematic work.  In  order 
to  reach  the  people,  the 
Board,  in  1897,  erected 
a  Deaconess  Home  in 
connection  with  a  mis- 
sion church.  The  struc- 
ture is  a  massive  build- 
ing, called  Mount  Tabor  Industrial  Institution.  The  upper 
audience-room  for  worship  is  ample  for  the  purpose,  and  has 
been  tastefully  furnished.  The  lower  floor  has  three  rooms 
containing  ample  provision  for  all  kinds  of  Deaconess  Work ; 
viz.,  kindergarten,  kitchen-garden,  industrial  school,  chil- 
dren's hour,  boys'   club,  men's   reading-rooms,   entertain- 


II 
11 

1-5! 


Mount  Tabor  Deaconess  Home  and 
iNDusTRiAii  Building. 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.       377 


ments,  and  prayer  service.  The  comfortable,  convenient, 
and  tasteful  parsonage  adjoining  is  built  of  the  same  gray 
granite,  and  preserves  the  unity  of  the  Mount  Tabor  In- 
stitutional Building. 
Mrs.  Jane  Bancroft 
Robinson  says,  "This 
is  the  first  institu- 
tional building  for 
Deaconess  Work  in 
this  country,  and 
possibly  in  the 
world.^'  Sister  H.  C. 
Henry  is  at  the  head 
of  this  institution. 
The  Sunday-school 
connected  with  it  is 
attended  by  several 
hundred  Bohemian 
children.  There  are 
ninety-five  children 
attending  the  kinder- 
garten, and  one  hun- 
dred girls  are  in- 
structed in  the  sew- 
ing -  school.  M  ore 
than  five  hundred 
Bohemian  ( Catholic ) 
families  are  under 
the  influence  of 
these  deaconesses. 
Thirteen  hundred  and  fifty  children  and  young  people 
come  directly  under  their  teaching  in  the  kindergarten, 
sewing-school,  kitchengarden,  Bible-class,  Junior  League, 
and  primary  work  in  Mission  Sunday-schools.     The  Dea- 


Deaconess  Home,  i;  

(Lombard  St.) 


i;E,  Md. 


378        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


coness  Board  maintains,  in  six  centers  of  Baltimore,  three 
kindergartens,  four  sewing-schools,  and  four  Mothers' 
Meetings,  besides  classes  for  Bible  and  secular  instruction. 
The  Nurse  Deaconess  is  a  potent  factor  in  the  home  life 
of  the  sick  whom  she  serves.  Sunday  services  are  held  in 
several  hospitals  at  regular  intervals,  besides  many  hours 
spent  in  visiting  hospital  wards.  During  the  summer,  fresh- 
air  work  occupies  a  large  part  of  the  time.  Homes  for 
orphan  and  neglected  children,  situations  for  unem- 
ployed,— these  and  many  other  duties  enter  into  the 
annals  of  the  Home.  Fifteen  active  women  have  been 
occupying  every  field  possible.  Miss  Anna  Leidigh  is 
superintendent.  The  two  institutions  have  a  value  of 
$30,000. 

The  Deaconess  Home  in  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

At  a  meeting  of  the 
Woman's  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  the 
Philadelphia  Confer- 
ence, November  27, 
1889,  it  was  decided  to 
found  a  Deaconess 
Home.  The  decision 
was  materialized 
through  the  munificent 
gift  of  Mr.  M.  N. 
Simpson  McCullough. 
Commodious  quarters 
were  rented  on  Six- 
teenth Street,  and  on 
February  20th  the 
Home  was  opened  with  appropriate  exercises  by  Bishop 
Foss.    Two  years  later,  on  the  evening  of  January  5,  1892, 


PHILADEIiPHIA  DeAOONESS  HOME. 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.        379 

as   the   deaconesses   were   attending   prayer-meeting,   they 
were  surprised  by  the  widow  of  the  late  Bishop  sfmpson, 
who  informed  the  audience  that  Colonel  Joseph  Bennett 
had  bought  a  suitable  house  on  Vine  Street,  and  had  pre- 
sented it  to  the  Deaconess  Home.     In  consequence  of  this 
announcement,  songs  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  ascended 
to  heaven  that  evening.     The  Women's  Aid  and  Young 
People's  Societies  of  the  various  congregations  furnished 
the  house,  and  on  March  30th  it  was  dedicated.    Two  years 
later.   Colonel  Bennett  purchased  the  adjoining  building 
and  presented  it  to  the  institution;  he  also  provided  the 
furnishings,  which  amounted  to  nearly  $5,000.     The  prop- 
erty is  valued  at  $26,000,  and  is  free  of  debt.     The  dea- 
conesses conduct  a  successful  Italian  and  also  an  immi- 
grant mission,  and  are  engaged  in  parish  work  through- 
out  the   city.      The   Philadelphia    Deaconess,   a    monthly 
periodical,  is  published  by  the  Home.    Fourteen  deaconesses 
are  connected  with  the  Home.     Colonel  Joseph  Bennett, 
the  liberal  and  cheerful  donor,  died  in  1898. 

The  Deaconess  Home  in  Buffalo,  N".  Y. 
In  the  spring  of  1888  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary 
Society  appointed  a  city  missionary  in  Buffalo.  When  the 
latter,  in  her  report,  mentioned  the  degradation  existing 
in  the  proletarian  district,  it  became  evident  that  system- 
atic missionary  work  had  become  a  necessity  for  the  city. 
This  led  to  the  founding  of  a  Deaconess  Home.  After  a 
series  of  addresses  in  the  various  Methodist  churches  by 
Mrs.  Jane  Bancroft  Robinson,  in  which  she  spoke  of  the 
blessings  caused  by  the  Deaconess  Work  in  England  and 
Germany,  people  opened  their  hearts  and  purses,  and  in 
1890  the  Deaconess  Home  was  opened.  Mrs.  Florence  S. 
Wilson,  of  the  Elizabeth  Gamble  Home  in  Cincinnati,' 
took  charge  of  the  institution.     In  December,  1892,  a  suit- 


380 


History  of  the  JDeaconess  Movement. 


able  building  was  purchased  and  furnished.  Twelve  dea- 
conesses are  engaged  in  the  following  branches  of  mission 
work :  Nursing,  visiting  the  poor,  teaching  in  industrial 
schools  and  kindergartens,  conducting  the  Italian  mission, 
Travelers'  Aid  work^  and  visiting  the  poorhouse  and  the  city 
hospital.  The  current  disbursements  of  the  institution  to 
the  poor  and  needy  amount  to  $3,000.     The  property  is 

valued  at  $15,000. 
Mrs.  Wilson  resigned 
as  superintendent 
of  the  Home  in 
1891.  Miss  Eliza- 
beth A.  Smith,  of 
Washington,  D.  C, 
was  then  engaged 
as  su2:)erintendent. 
She  resigned,  Au- 
gust 1,  1900,  and 
Miss  Mary  L.  Mul- 
1  e  n  ,  a  deaconess 
who  had  been  in  the 
Home  three  years, 
and  a  graduate  of 
the  National  Training-school  at  Washington,  D.  C,  was 
made  superintendent.  The  Buffalo  Deaconess  is  published 
monthly,  and  has  a  circulation  of  two  thousand  coj^ies. 

The  Deaconess  Home  in  Pittsburg^  Pa. 

One  of  the  largest  Methodist  Churches  in  Pittsburg 
employed  a  deaconess  in  1892.  The  expenses  were  defrayed 
by  the  well-known  and  liberal  drygoods  merchant,  Mr. 
Joseph  Home.  In  the  year  following,  a  Deaconess  Society 
was  organized,  a  building  was  rented,  and  the  Methodist 
congregations  of  the  city  vied  with  each  other  in  furnish- 


Buffalo  Deaconess  Home. 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.       381 

ing  the  house.  In  September,  1894,  the  Pittsburg  branch 
of  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society  offered  a  house 
free  of  rent,  and  since  that  time  the  Home  is  under  the 
patronage  of  this  society.  The  two  years'  course  of  study 
is  that  prescribed  by  the  Church.  As  no  hospital  is  con- 
nected with  the  Home, 
the  Nurse  Deaconesses 
receive  the  necessary 
instruction  in  one  of 
the  city  hospitals. 
Others  attend  the  Na- 
tional Training-school 
in  Washington.  The 
principal  object  of  the 
institution  is  to  pre- 
pare the  deaconesses 
for  parish  work.  The 
eight  deaconesses  con- 
nected with  the  Home 
conduct  a  primary 
school,  a  kindergarten, 
a  mission  school,  a 
Travelers'  Aid  Depart- 
ment, an  industrial,  an 
evening,  and  a  cooking 

school.  Through  the  liberality  of  friends,  Grace  Mission 
Chapel  was  erected,  and  is  the  center  of  a  flourishing  mis- 
sion work,  conducted  by  the  deaconesses.  One  of  the  dea- 
conesses is  engaged  in  missionary  work  in  Porto  Rico.  The 
Governing  Board  is  comjwsed  exclusively  of  ladies. 


Pittsburg  Deaconess  Home. 


The  Deaconess  Home  in  Cleveland,  0. 

This  institution  owes  its  existence  to  a  veteran  Meth- 
odist preacher.     A  newly-organized  Deaconess  Society  was 


382 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


offered  a  commodious  house  on  Madison  Avenue,  free  of 
rent,  for  a  term  of  five  years,  by  Kev.  Dillon  Prosser.  The 
number  of  deaconesses  increased,  and  at  the  expiration  of 
the  five  years,  another  benevolent  gentleman,  Mr.  W.   F. 

Walworth,  procured 
property  on  Woodland 
Avenue,  worth  $10,000. 
He  himself  donated 
part  of  this  sum,  and 
the  rest  was  secured  by 
the  Methodist  Churches 
in  the  city.  The  build- 
ing was  furnished  by 
the  Woman's  Aid  So- 
cities  and  the  Epworth 
Leagues.  In  the  rear 
of  the  building  is  an- 
other, in  which  an  in- 
dustrial school  is  con- 
ducted. Fifteen  dea- 
conesses are  connected 
with  the  Home,  and  the 
course  of  study  is  iden- 
tical with  that  pre- 
scribed by  the  Church.  The  five  departments  of  work  are 
as  follows :  1.  The  Evangelistic  W^ork  of  the  St.  Clair 
Street  Mission ;  2.  House-to-house  Visitation ;  3.  Industrial 
Work;  4.   Nursing;   5.   The   Travelers'   Aid   Department. 

The  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in  Omaha^  Neb. 

(Picture  of  New  BuUding,  see  page  365.) 

In  May,  1891,  a  number  of  benevolent  people  opened 
a  hospital  with  rooms  for  thirty-six  beds.     This  was  the 


Deaconess  Home  in  Cleveland,  O. 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.        383 

beginning  of  an  institution  which  has  grown  to  such  di- 
mensions that  it  has  become  necessary  to  erect  a  new  build- 
ing. Tlie  growth  of  the  institution  is  in  a  large  measure 
due  to  its  superintendent,  Mrs.  Allie  P.  McLaughlin,  better 
known  by  her  maiden  name  of  Allie  Pfrimmer.  Her  hus- 
band, Rev.  J.  L.  McLaughlin,  is  at  present  correspond- 
ing secretary  of  the  institution.  During  the  year  1902 
nearly  one  thousand  patients  were  cared  for  in  the  hos- 
pital, and  several  hundred  applicants  could  not  be  ad- 
mitted for  want  of  accommodations.  A  new  building  is 
nearly  completed,  corner  Glenwood  Avenue  and  Cunnings 
Street,  which  will  cost  not  less  than  $100,000.  The  Home 
has  thirty-six  deaconesses,  including  those  on  probation. 
Some  of  them  are  nurses,  others  are  engaged  in  parish  work 
in  various  cities  of  the  Northwest.  The  corporate  title  of 
the  institution  is,  "The  Omaha  Hospital  and  Deaconess 
Home  Association  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church." 

The  Fisk  Deaconess  Home  and  Training-school  in 
Kansas  City. 

The  wisdom  of  the  Xational  Woman's  Home  Missionary 
Society  in  establishing  a  training-school  in  this  populous 
center  of  the  West  has  been  amply  vindicated  by  the  re- 
sults so  soon  accomplished.  In  September,  1898,  Miss 
H.  A.  Bancroft,  then  laboring  in  Kansas  City,  had  an  op- 
portunity to  observe  the  excellent  work  of  Bethany  Hos- 
pital. She  saw,  however,  the  great  need  of  a  specific  Bible 
Department  in  which  the  nurse  deaconesses  could  pursue 
systematically  the  required  studies.  This  need  Miss  Ban- 
croft presented  to  the  friends  of  Bethany  Hospital,  and,  in 
harmony  with  the  thought,  Dr.  Alderman,  Rev.  S.  E.  Betts, 
and  the  women  of  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society 
strongly  urged  the  founding  of  a  training-school.    A  school 


384 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


was  opened  in  a  small  way,  and  the  first  class  of  two  grad- 
uated in  1901.     In  1902  a  class  of  twelve  graduated,  every 

one  of  whom  was  under 

appointment  as  a  dea- 
coness before  the  school 
closed.  In  the  second 
year  the  institution  had 
to  be  removed  to  larger 
quarters.  A  new  and 
commodious  building  is 
planned  for  the  near 
future.  The  institution 
was  named  in  honor  of 
Mrs.  Clinton  B.  Fisk, 
president  of  the  Wo- 
man's Home  Missionary 
Society.  Rev.  J.  W. 
Aldermann,  D.  D.,  is 
president,  and  Miss 
Winifred  Spaulding 
superintendent.  The  deaconesses  receive  their  nurse-train- 
ing in  the  Bethany  Hospital. 

Bethany  Deaconess  Hospital,  Kansas  City,  Kan. 

The  Bethany  Hospital  in  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  was  es- 
tablished in  189G.  Bishop  Ninde  and  Mrs.  Lucy  Rider 
Meyer  visited  the  city,  made  addresses,  and  helped  to  or- 
ganize a  Deaconess  Hospital.  Nurses  and  workers  were  sent 
from  the  Chicago  Training-school.  The  growth  was  slow, 
but  the  hospital  is  doing  well,  and  has  a  capacity  for  sev- 
enty-five patients.  Of  the  twelve  hundred  and  fifty  pa- 
tients treated  in  1901,  not  less  than  nine  hundred  and 
forty-seven  were  treated  free  of  charge.  Income  and  ex- 
penses were  $21,000.    Two  buildings  are  occupied,  and  the 


Miss  Winifred  Spaulding. 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.       385 

doors  of  Bethany  are  wide  open  to  the  j^oorest  as  well  as 
to  the  rich.  There  is  no  distinction  of  creed  or  color  in 
the  receiving  of  patients,  and  there  are  over  thirty  charity 
beds  in  connection  with  this  hospital.  In  1899  the  hospital 
became  affiliated  with  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  So- 
ciety. Eev.  S.  E.  Betts  is  superintendent  of  the  institu- 
tion. The  property  is  valued  at  $32,700.  Twenty-five 
deaconesses  and  probationers  are  engaged  in  the  hospital. 

The  Bidwell  Deaconess  Home  and  Iowa  Methodist 
Hospital  in  Des  Moines. 
This  institution  was  founded  in  1892,  in  Des  Moines, 
by  a  branch  of  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society,  and 
the  following  year  the  building  was  dedicated  by  Bishop 
Fowler.     A  few  months  later  the  incipient  institution  re- 
ceived $22,000  through  a  legacy  of  the  Bidwell  family.    An 
effort  was  made  in  1895  to  interest  the  various   Confer- 
ences of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Iowa  in  the 
Home,  and,  as  a  result,  the  four  Conferences  in  the  State 
united,  and  founded  the  Iowa  Methodist  Hospital.     Each 
Conference  elects  one  of  its  members  to  serve  as  director, 
and  these,  with  the  directors  elected  by  the  Woman's  Home 
Missionary  Society,  constitute  the  Board  of  Control.     A 
beautiful  piece  of  ground,   consisting  of  four  acres,   was 
bought  in  the  capital  city,  on  which  a  hospital  was  erected 
at  a  cost  of  $50,000.     It  is  easy  of  access,  and  a  large  part 
of  the  city  can  be  viewed  from  the  windows.    There  is  room 
for  fifty  beds.     The  Deaconess  Home  is  in  the  adjoining 
building.    A  Bible  Training-school  was  also  organized,  and 
the  three  institutions,  the  Iowa  Bible  Training-school,  Bid- 
well  Deaconess  Home,  and  the  Iowa  Methodist  Hospital, 
constitute  a  strong  trio.     They  work  together  in  harmony, 
and  are  a  source  of  blessing  to  the  entire  State.     Eighteen 
deaconesses,  including  probationers,  are  connected  with  the 
25 


386 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


Home.    Mrs.  H.  Ida  Benson  is  superintendent  of  the  Dea- 
coness Home  and  Bible  Training-school. 

The  Maria  Beard  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital^  in 
Spokane^  Wash. 

In  a  small  rented  house  this  Home  was  opened  in  April, 
1892,  with  two  deaconesses  from  the  Chicago  Training- 
school.     In  1896  the  institution  was  incorporated  under 

the  name  "M  aria 

:  Beard  Deaconess  Hos- 

pital." A  year  later 
a  large  hospital  build- 
ing  was  erected 
through  the  liberality 
of  Mr.  F.  P.  O'Neill. 
W  h  e  n  this  property 
was  signed  over  to  the 
Deaconess  Home,  the 
name  was  changed  to 
"Maria  Beard  Dea- 
coness Home  and  Hos- 
pital." The  work  having  already  outgrown  its  accommo- 
dations, the  Board  has  purchased  a  suitable  piece  of  ground, 
and  is  planning  to  erect  a  new,  commodious  building  in 
the  near  future.  As  it  seemed  almost  impossible  to  obtain 
a  sufficient  number  of  young  women  willing  to  devote  them- 
selves to  the  Deaconess  Work,  a  Nurse-training  School  was 
combined  with  the  hospital.  A  Home  for  the  Aged  was 
also  founded,  which  was  named  "Spokane  Deaconess  Old 
People's  Home."  Twelve  deaconesses  are  active  in  these 
three  institutions,  including  those  on  probation.  A  paper 
published  in  the  interests  of  the  institution  is  called  The 
Spokane  Deaconess.  Several  of  the  deaconesses  are  native 
Germans. 


Maria  Beard  Deaconess  Home. 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States. 


387 


The  Deaconess  Home  and  Training-school  in  San 
Francisco^  Cal. 

Mrs.  Jane  M.  Bancroft  gave  the  impulse  to  the  found- 
ing of  this  institution  in  1891.     She  organized  the  Dea- 


The  Deaconess  Home  and  TRAiNiNG-scHooii  in 

San  Francisco,  Cal. 

coness  Society  of  the  C-alifornia  Conference,  and  the  latter 
opened  a  Home  before  the  close  of  the  year.  Bishop  Fowler 
was  the  first  president,  and  Mrs.  Jennie  Ebermann  the 
first  superintendent.  In  1893  the  institution  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society.  Shortly 
after,  one  of  the  deaconesses  died;,  and  the  health  of  an- 


388 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


other  failed,  in  consequence  of  which  the  Home  had  to 
be  closed.  In  1894  the  institution  was  reopened  in  better 
quarters,  and  Mrs.  H.  Ida  Benson,  from  the  Lucy  Webb 
Hayes  Training-school,  was  made  superintendent.  An  in- 
teresting piece  of  history  is  connected  with  this  reopening. 

In  189  3,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Simms 
made  a  trip  to 
Europe,  and 
there  became  ac- 
quainted with 
the  Deaconess 
Work.  On  their 
return  they  do- 
nated $1,000  to 
the  society  in 
San  Francisco. 
When,  in  1901, 
Kev.  Dr.  J.  N. 
Beard,  who  had 
proved  himself 
a  warm  friend 
of  the  undertak- 
ing from  its  be- 
ginning was  made  dean  of  the  Home,  and  devoted- his  whole 
time  to  the  cause,  it  was  soon  in  a  flourishing  condition. 
His  years  of  service  as  j^resident  in  educational  institu- 
tions of  the  Church,  as  pastor  in  large  Churches,  eminently 
fit  him  for  the  position.  Besides,  his  studies  on  lines  of 
sociology  in  European  cities  greatly  add  to  his  practical 
knowledge  of  working  out  the  problems  for  which  the 
Deaconess  Institutions  stand.  He  purchased  a  large 
and  valuable  building,  which  was  originally  built  for  a 
school. 


Rev.  J.  N.  Beabd,  D.  D. 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States. 


389 


San  Francisco  is  an  important  mission  field,  being  a  cos- 
mopolitan city,  in  which  nearly  ail  nations  of  the  earth 
are  represented.  There  being  a  large  Chinese  and  Japan- 
ese population,  many  Church  problems  remain  to  be  solved, 


Los  Angeles  Deaconess  Home. 


and  much  mission  work  is  to  he  done.  Dr.  Beard  has  laid 
broad  foundations  for  the  work,  and  he  is  hopeful  that  in 
the  near  future  the  Methodist  Church  will  have  in  San 
Francisco  one  of  the  most  promising  Deaconess  Homes  in 
the  United  States.  Twenty-five  students  and  deaconesses 
are  connected  with  the  Home. 


390        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


The  Deaconess  Home  in  Los  Angeles^  Cal. 

In  1896^  Miss  Geneva  Day,  a  deaconess  from  Chicago, 
came  to  Los  Angeles  to  engage  in  deaconess  work  in  South- 
ern California.  She  received  an  invitation  to  address  the 
Preachers'  Meeting  on  the  Deaconess  Cause.  As  a  result, 
she  was  employed  by  the  First  Methodist  Church  in  the 
city.  Shortly  after,  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  So- 
ciety rented  a  few  rooms,  and  sent  Miss  Spaulding,  of  Cleve- 
land, to  take  charge  of  the  work.  At  the  end  of  the  year 
a  large  and  convenient  house  was  rented  and  oceupiedr'^^y 
five  deaconesses.  In  1899,  Mrs.  DeEauw  donated  two  build- 
ing-lots and  $500  in  cash.  Other  gifts  ^ere  added,  and 
soon  a  commodious  building  was  erected.  At  present  there 
are  eight  deaconesses  in  the  Home,  whose  services  are  sought 
mostly  by  the  various  Churches.  They  are  also  engaged 
in  Travelers'  Aid  work.  In  1900  the  Home  .was^rdedicated 
by  Bishop  Hamilton.  The  property  is  worth  $6,000,  is 
free  of  debt,  and  a  beginning  has  been  made  in  the  accil- 
mulation  of  an  endowment.  ,  ., 

The  Methodist  Home  for  the  Aged  in  Yellow  . ' 
Springs,  Ohio.  ; 

This  institution  was  incorporated  August  4,  1899,  and 
opened  December  11th  following.  Eev.  H.  C.  Weakley, 
superintendent  of  the  Elizabeth  Gamble  Deaconess  Home, 
founded  the  institution,  with  the  intention  of  making  it  a 
branch  of  the  Gamble  Home;  however,  the  authorities  de- 
cided that  the  two  institutions  should  be  independent.  Dr. 
W^eakley,  therefore,  suggested  a  Board,  in  which  the  five 
Methodist  Conferences  in  Ohio  concurred,  and  are  repre- 
sented. Thus  the  institution  was, placed  under  the  patron- 
age and  control  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Be- 
sides the  five  members  named  in  the  charter — H.  C.  Weak- 
ley, A.  J.  Lyon,  J.  H.  Fitzwater,  A.  H.  Norcross,  and  R. 


391 


392  Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States. 

Johnson — each  of  the  iive  Conferences  elected  three  other 
members — a  clergyman,  a  layman,  and  a  lady.  William 
McKinley,  then  President  of  the  United  States,  accepted 


Rev.  H.  C.  Weaki^ey,  D.  D. 

such  an  appointment,  made  by  the  East  Ohio  Conference. 
The  Home  property  contains  over  fourteen  acres,  and  the 
Dayton  and  Xenia  Electric  Eailway  passes  in  front 
of  it.  The  main  building  burnt  down  in  November,  1902. 
A  new  structure,  fireproof  and  supplied  with  all  modern 


Deaconess  Homes  ix  the  United  States.       393 

conveniences,  will  be  erected  at  once.  Before  the  fire  the 
property  was  valued  at  $20,000,  and  free  of  debt.  In 
addition,  the  corporation  has  resources  amounting  to 
over  $33,000.  Dr.  H.  C.  Weakley  had  been  identified 
with  the  Deaconess  Cause  for  ten  years.  The  Gamble 
Home  in  Cincinnati  was  the  first  Deaconess  Institution 
founded  after  the  session  of  the  General  Conference 
in  1888,  referred  to  above,  and  from  the  beginning 
until  1900,  Dr.  Weakley  was  its  corresponding  secretary. 
Having  seen  the  Elizabeth  Gamble  Deaconess  Home  and 
Christ  Hospital  firmly  established  in  the  confidence  and 
affection  of  the  people,  and  as  two  of  the  great  and  per- 
manent Christian  institutions  of  Cincinnati,  he  asked  to  be 
released  from  his  official  relations  thereto,  in  order  to  give 
his  entire  strength  to  building  up  the  Home  for  the  Aged. 
From  the  beginning  until  now  it  has  been  the  purpose 
of  those  in  charge  of  this  institution  to  make  it  a  part  of 
the  Deaconess  Movement,  to  have  the  Sisterhood  of  the 
Church  in  charge  of  its  internal  afi'airs  just  as  soon  as  they 
could  secure  or  train  them.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  those  in 
charge  and  those  who  have  taken  care  of  the  old  folks  have 
so  understood,  and  came  and  wrought  in  the  true  deaconess 
spirit  and  on  the  deaconess  basis,  though  none  who  are 
there  now  have  been  formally  consecrated.  The  move- 
ment is  too  young  to  have  produced  them. 

Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  of  the  State  of 
Indiana^  in  Indianapolis. 

In  the  fall  of  1898  initial  steps  were  taken  toward  es- 
tablishing a  Deaconess  Hospital  and  Home  in  the  city  of 
Indianapolis,  to  be  the  work  of  the  three  Conferences  in 
the  State  of  Indiana.  Plans  were  matured  and  Articles  of 
Incorporation  adopted  by  all  of  the  Indiana  Conferences. 
Practical  work  was  begun  by  Miss  C.  K.  Schwartz  in  Oc- 


394 


lilSTOKY    OF    THE    DeACONESS    MOVEMENT. 


tober,  1898.  In  August  of  1899  she  was  joined  by  Miss 
Middleton,  a  graduate  of  DePauw,  and  also  of  the  Wash- 
ington Training-school,  and  later  by  Miss  Plummer,  a 
nurse  deaconess.  The  City  Union  of  the  Epworth  League 
pledged  its  indorsement  and  co-operation  by  supporting  a 
visiting  and  a  nurse  deaconess,  to  work  under  its  direction 
in  the  Mercy  and  Help  Department.  A  temporary  Home 
was  opened,  but  later  the  Board  of  Directors  purchased 


The  Aldrich  Memorial,  Deaconess  Ho3ie  in 
Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

a  half  square  of  land  at  Illkiois  and  Twenty-ninth  Streets 
as  a  site  for  the  institution.  In  the  meantime  the  dea- 
conesses are  engaged  in  city  mission  work  of  various 
kinds — kindergarten,  industrial  school.  Mothers'  Meetings, 
rescue  work,  and  house-to-house  visitation.  Four  deacon- 
esses are  connected  with  the  Home.  The  Board  of  Di- 
rectors, consisting  of  fifteen  members,  is  thus  constituted: 
Each  of  the  three  Conferences  elects  two  clergymen,  one 
layman,  and  two  women,  the  latter  from  the  ranks  of  the 
Woman's  Home  Missionary   Society.     The  plans  for  the 


Deaconess  Homks  in  the  United  States. 


395 


future  include  tlie  raising  of  $100,000  for  building  and 
endowment  purposes. 

The  Aldricit  Memorial  Deaconess  Home  and  Train- 
ing-school IN  Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

On  February  19,  1891,  the  Methodist  preachers  of  the 
above-named  city  met  for  the  purpose  of  discussing  the 
founding  of  a  Deaconess  Home.  Work  on  a  building  was 
begun  without  delay.  When,  three  years  later,  the  debt 
on  the  Iniilding  had  been  paid,  the  Home  was  dedicated. 


Watts  de  Peyster  Home,  Verbank,  N.  Y. 

In  the  fall  of  1897  a  training-school  was  organized  in  con- 
nection with  the  Home.  The  instruction  is  given  by  resi- 
dent clergymen  and  physicians.  Both  institutions  are  lo- 
cated in  the  same  building.  Mrs.  W.  J.  iVldrich  is  super- 
intendent. By  personal  efforts  she  secured  gifts  and  sub- 
scriptions toward  the  erection  of  the  institution,  and 
through  various  vicissitudes,  as  a  wise  leader,  she  brought 
it  out  into  a  large  place  of  usefulness  and  prosperity. 

Watts  de  Peyster  Hospital  for  Children. 

The    founding   of   tliis    blessed    institute    in   Verbank. 
N.  Y.,  was  made  possible  through  a  liberal  gift  by  General 


396         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

J.  Watts.  The  institution  is  located  in  a  romantic  region, 
on  an  elevation  from  which  the  greater  part  of  Dutchess 
County  can  be  viewed.  It  is  therefore  a  healthy  place. 
The  building  is  of  stone,  has  a  length  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  veranda.  Sick  and  in- 
valid children  are  cared  for  in  the  Home.  It  is  managed 
by  the  Deaconess  Society  of  the  New  York  Conference, 
and  deaconesses  perform  the  labors  of  love.  There  being 
no  endowment,  the  institution  is  dependent  on  liberal 
contributions  for  its  maintenance. 

The  Shesler  Deaconess  Home  in  Sioux  City^  Ia. 

On  May  22,  1899,  a  meeting  was  called  in  the  First 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Sioux  City  for  the  purpose 
of  discussing  the  question  of  founding  a  Deaconess  Home 
in  the  city.  Miss  Iva  May  Durham,  one  of  the  field  secre- 
taries of  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society,  addressed 
the  meeting,  whereupon  Mrs.  J.  P.  Negus,  secretary  of  the 
Branch  Society  of  the  North  Iowa  Conference,  stated  that 
the  branch  would  contribute  $G00  toward  the  cause.  In 
August,  1899,  the  institution  was  opened  in  rented  quarters. 
A  year  later  the  Official  Board  was  informed  that  Mrs. 
J.  B.  Shesler,  of  Spencer,  la.,  the  widow  of  the  late  Rev. 
Abram  A.  Shesler,  of  the  Northwest  Iowa  Conference,  had 
decided  to  donate  some  valuable  property.  In  December, 
1900,  a  building  was  purchased  for  $5,150.  It  contains 
twelve  rooms,  and  is  well  adapted  for  a  Deaconess  Home. 
The  benefactress,  Mrs.  Shesler;  has  been  a  true  helpmate 
to  her  husband  in.  his  pastoral  labors,  and  an  excellent 
Sunday-school  worker.  There  are  five  deaconesses  con- 
nected with  the  Home,  and  the  latter  has  a  promising 
future. 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.        397 


The  Colorado  Conference  Deaconess  Home  in 
Denver^  Colo. 

The  Deaconess  Work  of  Colorado,  in  connection  with 
the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society,  opened  October 
9,  1897,  when  Miss  Me- 
lissa Briggs  entered  on 
her  duties  as  a  visiting 
deaconess.  Colorado 
Methodism  took  a  lively 
interest  in  the  work, 
and  early  in  1898  the 
Conference  Board  of 
Deaconess  indorsed 
the  movement.  Trinity 
C  h  u  r  c  h  subscribed 
twenty  dollars  per 
month,  and  Mr.  H.  S. 
Taggart  supported  a 
deaconess.  In  F  e  b- 
ruary,  I8983  articles  of 
incorporation  were 
drawn  up,  and  a  house 
was  rented,  with  three 

deaconesses,  Miss  Briggs,  Miss  Kich,  and  Miss  James,  as 
inmates.  During  the  year  1902  fourteen  deaconesses  were 
employed  in  fifty  different  Churches  of  the  Colorado  Con- 
ference. A  small  paper.  Woman  s  Worh,  is  published  in 
the  interest  of  the  Home. 

Deaconess  Hospital  in  Seattle,  Wash. 

This  hospital,  which  is  under  the  auspices  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  was  opened  March  1,  1900,  and, 
since  it  is  the  first  Protestant  hospital  in  the  city,  it  fills 


Deaconess  Home  in  Denver,  Colo. 


398 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


a  real  want.  The  millionaire,  Thomas  Lippy,  well  known 
on  the  Pacific  Coast,  presented  the  building,  which  has 
accommodations  for  ninety  patients.  Near  the  hospital 
three  separate  buildings  were  erected,  each  containing  nine 
rooms.  These  are  occupied  by  the  deaconesses.  Miss  Dora 
Adron  is  superintendent,  both  of  the  hospital  and  the  Dea- 


^^^ 


coness  Home.     Tiie  property  is  valued  at  $50,000,  and  is 
free  of  debt. 


Deaconess  Home  of  the  Southwest  Kansas  Confer- 
ence^ IN  Wichita,  Kan. 

In  March,  1898,  the  Southwest  Kansas  Conference  de- 
cided to  found  a  Deaconess  Home  in  Wichita.  Two  dea- 
conesseS;  who  had  been  trained  in  the  Lucy  Webb  Hayes 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States. 


399 


School  in  AYashington,  began  the  work  in  a  rented  house. 
The  year  following,  a  building  with  seven  rooms  was  pur- 
chased, and  soon  paid  for.  Five  deaconesses  are  at  present 
engaged  in  parish  work,  nursing,  and  teaching.  Several 
others  are  being  trained  for  their  calling.  The  property 
is  worth  $3,600. 


Deaconess  Home  In  Milwaukee,  Wis. 


The  Deaconess  Home  in  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

In  1893,  Elizabeth  Elmore,  a  benevolent  lady  and 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  donated  a 
beautiful  house  to  the  Summerfield  Methodist  congrega- 
tion, on  the  condition  that  the  latter  organize  and  support 


400 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


a  Deaconess  Home.  The  institution  was  opened  with  three 
deaconesses,  which  number  has  increased  to  eight.  Six  of 
them  are  employed  in  parish  work,  one  is  engaged  in  nurs- 
ing, and  another  is  performing  evangelistic  work.  Mrs. 
Elmore  also  willed  $5,000  to  the  Home,  which  sum  is  in- 
vested as  an  endowment  fund.  The  institution  is  con- 
trolled by  a  Board  consisting  of  twenty-one  members,  ten 
of  whom  are  women.  The  Woman's  Aid  Society  provides 
for  the  running  expenses. 


Dkaconkss  Home  and  Hospital,  in  Peoria,  III. 

The  Deaconess  Home  in  Newark,  N.  J. 

This  institution  was  founded  by  the  Woman's  Home 
Missionary  Society  in  Jul}^,  1899,  through  the  efforts  of 
a  deaconess.  The  same  year  a  building  was  erected,  which 
at  present  is  occupied  by  six  deaconesses. 

Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in  Peoria,  III. 

Mrs.  Isadore  Edward  Wilkinson  donated  property  val- 
ued at  $30,000  for  the  purpose  of  founding  a  Deaconess 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.       401 


Home,  which  is  to  bear  the  name  of  "Wilkinson  Memorial 
Institute/'  The  three-story  building  is  situated  on  a  hill, 
from  the  top  of  which  the  greater  part  of  the  city  can  be 
seen.  The  institute  was  opened  May  24,  1900.  It  is  pat- 
ronized and  controlled  by  the  Illinois  Conference,  within 
the  boundaries  of  which  it  is  situated.  Besides  the  neces- 
sary accommodations  for  the  deaconesses,  there  is  room 
for  thirty-five  patients. 

Tpie  Elizabeth  Wellington  Griffin  Home 

Is  situated  in  Rensselaer,  N.  Y.,  on  the  banks  of  the  Hud- 
son,   opposite    Albany. 
It  is  a  bequest  of  the 
lady  whose  name  it 
bears.  This  Home  came 
into   the   possession  of 
the    Woman's    Home 
Missionary    Society    at 
the  death  of  Mrs.  Grif- 
fin, February  10,  1899, 
by  deed ;  also  $1,000  by 
will    for    repairs.      It 
contains    twelve    rooms 
with    modern    conven- 
iences, and  is  admirably 
adapted  to  the  various 
lines  of  Deaconess 
Work.      Seven   deacon- 
esses   set    out    every 
morning    on    their    er- 
rands of  mercy.     Rensselaer,  being  a  railroad  center,  is  a 
field  well  adapted  to  Deaconess  Work.     One  of  the  deacon- 
esses is  engaged  exclusively  at  the  railway  stations.     The 
Home  is  worth  $5,200,  and  is  free  of  debt. 
26 


The  Griffin  Deaconess  Home. 


402 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


The  Deaconess  Home  in  Pueblo^  Col., 
Was  founded  in  1898,  and  in  February,   1890,  the  dea- 
conesses moved  into  their  own  quarters.^    The  property  is 
vahied  at  $3,000,  and  the  institution  is  patronized  by  the 
Colorado  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

The  Deaconess  Home  in  Freeport,  III. 
This  Home  was  opened  in  1892.  It  began  with  two 
deaconesses,  but  the  number  has  since  been  increased  to 
five.  A  suitable  building  was  erected  by  the  Board.  In  a 
hall  adapted  for  that  purpose  religious  services  are  held 
every  evening.  The  deaconesses  conduct  an  industrial 
school,  two  kindergartens,  and  are  engaged  in  parish  work 
and  nursing. 

The  Deaconess  Home  in  Providence,  R.  I. 

In  1893  a  dea- 
coness from  the 
1)  OS  ton  Training- 
school  was  em- 
ployed in  the  city. 
Mrs.    Lucy   Rider 

-t  Meyer,  from  Chi- 
I   cago,  and  Miss  M.  E. 

^  Lunn,  superintend- 
ent of  the  Home  in 
Boston,  addressed 
large  audiences  on 
the  Deaconess 
Movement,  and 

Deaconess  Hospital,  Jeffersonville,Ind.  created    interest    m 

the  cause;  but  a 
Home  was  not  founded  until  two  years  later.  On  June  21, 
1895,  the  institution  was  opened  with  two  deaconesses.    The 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.        403 

number  has  since  increased  to  four,  and  they  are  engaged 
in  nursing  and  parish  work. 

The  N.  a.  W.  Mason  Deaconess  Home  in  Normal,  III. 

In  1899,  Mrs.  N.  A.  W.  Mason,  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  the  town,  donated  her  valuable  residence  for  deaconess 
purposes.  As  the  house  is  situated  near  the  Bloomington 
Hospital,  it  was  fitted  up  for  the  deaconesses  who  are  em- 
ployed as  nurses  in  the  hospital,  which  is  undenominational, 
and  affords  room  for  twenty  beds.  Although  the  dea- 
conesses are  employed  in  the  hospital  the  Deaconess  Home 
is,  nevertheless,  an  independent  organization. 

Deaconess  Hospital  in  Jeffersonville,  Ind. 

In  this  institution  there  are  hospital  facilities  for  twelve 
patients.  The  property  represents  a  value  of  $9,000,  and 
is  free  of  debt.  Seven  deaconesses  are  engaged  in  general 
Deaconess  Work.     (See  picture  opposite.) 

The  Deaconess  Home  in  Jersey  City,  K  J. 

The  first  Deaconess  Home,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Kewark  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
was  opened  November  5,  1897,  on  Barrow  Street.  Five 
deaconesses  are  engaged  in  general  Deaconess  Work,  includ- 
ing the  conducting  of  kindergartens,  a  mission  Sunday- 
school,  and  a  successful  mission  among  the  poor. 

The  Deaconess  Home  in  Knoxville,  Tenn., 

Was  opened  by  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society  on 
February  7,  1893.  The  number  of  deaconesses,  however, 
remained  small,  and  Sister  Rhoda  A.  Sigler  has  been  the 
head  deaconess  from  the  beginning. 


404        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

The  Deaconess  Home  in  Fall  Eiver^  Mass.^ 
Was  opened  June  12,  1894,  with  three  deaconesses.  The 
value  of  property  and  endowment  amounts  to  $52,000. 
The  institution  also  owns  a  Rest  Home.  The  deaconesses, 
eight  in  number,  are  employed  by  the  various  congrega- 
tions in  city  mission  work. 

Ensworth  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital,  St.  Joseph, 
Missouri. 
A  hospital  is  combined  with  the  Home,  containing  fifty- 
four  beds.    During  the  past  year  four  hundred  and  eighty 


Ensworth  Deaconess  HospixAii  in  St.  Joseph,  Mo. 

patients  were  cared  for.  Lodgings  were  provided  for  the 
deaconesses  in  a  separate  building.  Five  of  them  are  or- 
dained, and -the  remaining  fifteen  are  on  probation.  The 
value  of  the  jDroperty  is  $20,000. 

The  Hollaway  Deaconess  Home  in  Bridgeport,  0. 
Property  valued  at  $7,500  was  donated  by  a  benevolent 
lady,  Mrs.  J.  M.  Houston,  toward  the  founding  of  a  Dea- 


Deaconess  Homes  ix  the  United  States.       405 

coness  Home.     This  Home  was  opened  November  1,  1904^ 
with-  three  deaconesses  enrolled. 

The  Thoburn  Deaconess  Home  in  La  Crosse,  Wis., 

Was  founded  in  1895,  but  not  opened  until  October,  1899. 
Six  deaconesses  are  engaged  in  general  Deaconess  Work. 


The  Deaconess  Home  in  Detroit,  Mich. 

Nine  deaconesses  are  connected  with  the  Home.  They 
are  engaged  in  nursing,  parish  work,  conducting  kinder- 
g  a  r  t  e  n  s,  and  three 
Manual  Training- 
schools.  One  of  the 
deaconesses,  Mrs.  Kel- 
ler, who  conducts  the 
Tillman  Avenue  Mis- 
sion,' deserves  special 
notice.  This  Sister, 
whose  portrait  we  pre- 
sent, is  one  of  the  mos^ 
successful  city  mission 
aries  of  our  times.  Sh*^ 
began  her  work  h 
1889,  and  has  encoun 
tered  great  difficulties 
Her  work  lies  in  that 
part  of  the  city  occu- 
pied mostly  by  foreign- 
ers— Bohemians,   Poles,   Italians,   and  Hungarians 


■""--s.  \^  * ' 

MfS^^k^'^^: 

1 

1^^ 

iiB 

h^^ 

Mi 

*^^ 

^.i^^^ 

JJETBOIT  Deaconess  Home. 


Sev- 


eral times  the  Catholics  caused  a  riot,  and  threatened  to 
set  her  home  on  fire.  However,  she  has  won  all  hearts 
through  her  amiableness  and  labor  among  the  poor,  and 
to-day  Sister  Keller  is  very  generally  invited  to  partici- 


406         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

pate  in  the  festivities  of  those  i)oor  and  humble  people. 

It  is  also  known  that  whenever  sorrow  enters  a  home;  she 

is  the  one  to  bring  comfort. 
A  mission  building  has 
been  erected,  containing 
a  Manual  Training-school, 
a  Sunday-school,  and  a 
kindergarten.  This  Home 
has  become  the  central 
point  of  an  extensive  mis- 
sion work.  As  the  build- 
ing was  inadequate,  the 
Woman's  Home  Mission- 
arv  Society  of  the  Detroit 

Mrs.  H.  E.  Kkli^er.  ^'     t.  ,    -,  n 

Conference  erected  a  nne 
brick  building  at  a  cost  of  $5,000,  with  all  modern  ap- 
pliances for  aggressive  mission  work. 

The  Cunningham  Deaconess  Home  and  Orphanage  in 
Urbana^  III., 

Was  opened  in  1895.  Judge  Cunningham  presented  the 
Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society  with  a  valuable  build- 
ing, in  which  a  Home  was  opened.  Xhe  structure  has  since 
been  enlarged,  and  the  property  now  represents  a  value 
of  $26,000.  There  are  thirty-five  orphans  and  four  dea- 
conesses in  the  Home.     (See  picture  opposite.) 

The  Deaconess  Home  in  Columbus,  0., 

Is  pleasantly  located  on  the  first  floor  of  1087  Dennison 
Avenue,  in  the  building  formerly  occupied  by  the  Protestant 
Hospital.  The  Home  has  been  fitted  up  by  the  Methodist 
Churches  of  the  city.  Five  deaconesses  are  engaged  in 
parish  work  and  nursing. 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.       407 

Eest  Homes  for  Deaconesses. 

They  have  been  founded  in  various  parts  of  the  country. 
Some  are  on  the  shores  of  lakes  or  on  the  sea-coast,  others 
on  the  mountain-side  in  the  shade  of  century  oaks,  or  near 
the  rippling  brook.  The  first  we  would  like  to  mention 
is  the  Bancroft  Rest  Home  in  Ocean  Grove,  N.  J.,  on  the 


Cunningham  Deaconess  Home  and  Orphanage. 

Atlantic  Coast.  Besides  deaconesses,  other  Christian  work- 
ers are  admitted,  as  long  as  there  is  room,  for  the  small 
remuneration  of  $3  a  week.  The  Home  is  well  furnished, 
two  additional  lots  have  been  bought,  electric  lighting  has 
been  put  in  the  Home,  and  it  has  been  decided  that  the 
house,  like  the  Eternal  City,  should  remain  open  all  the 
year  round.  We  present  the  picture  of  this  beautiful 
Home.     The   second   is   the   Thompson   Vacation   Home, 


408        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement- 

situated  in  Mountain  Lake  Park,  Md.,  in  the  Alleghany 
Mountains.  It  is  a  model  place  for  deaconesses  needing 
rest.  The  building  has  nine  rooms,  and  is  surrounded  by 
a  veranda,  in  the  midst  of  forest-trees.  The  third  is  the 
National  Deaconess  Sanitarium  in  Colorado  Springs,  Col. 
For  years  the  necessity  of  a  sanitarium  for  persons  suffer- 
ing with  pulmonary  troubles,  especially  for  deaconesses,  had 
been  felt,  and  the  attention  had  been  directed  to  the  noted 
health  resort,  Colorado  Springs.     Through  the  liberality 


Bancroft  Rest  Home,  Ocean  Grove,  N.  J. 

of  a  deaconess,  Miss  Esther  C.  Finley,  a  vacation  sani- 
tarium in  the  suburbs  was  purchased.  The  building  con- 
tains twenty-six  rooms,  is  provided  with  wide  halls,  electric 
light,  verandas,  excellent  facilities  for  bathing,  and  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  park  containing  four  acres.  The  whole  has 
a  value  of  $25,000.  Through  the  efforts  of  friends  and 
Churches,  the  Home  has  been  furnished.  Bishop  Warren 
is  the  president  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  Several  other 
Rest  Homes  should  here  be  mentioned :  The  Caroline  Rest 
Cottage,  in  Round  Lake,  N.  Y. ;  the  Rest  Cottage  in  Chau- 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.       409 

tauqua,  N.  Y. ;  the  Elvira  Olney  Rest  Cottage,  in  Luding- 
ton,  Mich. ;  the  Eest  Home  in  Cottage  City,  Mass. ;  Vaca- 
tion Cottage,  Epworth  Heights,  0. ;  and  the  Deaconess  Cot- 
tage, in  Lakeside,  0. 

The  Deaconess  Home  for  Colored  People  in  Cincin- 
nati^ 0. 

This  Home,  the  first  of  its  kind  under  the  patronage 
of  any  Protestant  Church,  was  founded  in  1900.  In  view 
of  the  fact  that  the  Negro  question  is  one  of  the  burning 
questions  of  the  day  in  the  United  States,  this  undertaking 
is  one  of  great  significance.  The  Legislatures  of  the  South- 
ern States,  the  press,  and  the  pulpits  of  Protestant 
Churches,  are  agitating  this  question.  The  colored  man 
is  among  us,  and  he  is  here  to  stay.  The  results  of  slavery 
will  not  be  effaced  for  generations  to  come.  For  decades 
the  Negro  groaned  under  the  oppression  of  slavery.  He 
had  been  taught  that  he  had  neither  a  soul  nor  a  con- 
science. He  despised  himself,  because  he  had  been  reared 
in  the  belief  that  God  had  cursed  and  destined  him  for 
eternal  slavery.  He  has  been  surrounded  by  a  wall  of  super- 
stition too  high  to  be  scaled.  Thus  the  Negro  has  lost 
hold  on  the  future,  and  for  him  there  w^as  no  race  prob- 
lem, and,  to  a  certain  extent,  there  is  still  none — the  main 
thought  occupying  his  mind  is  his  temporal  well-being. 
A  lecture  on  pathology  would  be  of  no  avail  to  a  patient 
down  with  cholera ;  all  he  cares  for  is  to  get  rid  of  his  pain. 
Thus  the  colored  man  is  not  interested  in  the  race  prob- 
lem. He  neither  reads  nor  argues  concerning  the  subject, 
but  he  is  ready  to  be  helped.  Help,  however,  can  not  come 
to  him  excepting  through  the  religion  of  Christ.  The 
Church  has  done  a  great  deal  toward  the  amelioration  of 
the  black  man's  condition.  It  has  founded  congregations, 
Sunday-schools,  institutions  of  learning,  and  numerous  in- 


410 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


dustrial  schools  in  which  the  Negroes  are  educated  and  pre- 
pared for  the  discharge  of  their  duties  as  citizens.  The 
conviction,  however,  is  growing  that,  if  the  race  is  to  be 
elevated  to  a  higher  plane,  the  individual  must  be  looked 
after,  and  the  Deaconess  Cause  is  expected  to  lend  a  help- 
ing hand  in  bringing  about  the  desired  results.  The  col- 
ored deaconess,  visit- 
ing from  house  to 
house,  coming  into 
close  contact  with  its 
inmates,  giving  prac- 
t  i  c  a  1  instruction  in 
housekeeping,  bring- 
ing children  to  Sun- 
day-school, exhorting 
the  indifferent,  and 
inviting  them  to 
church,  can  accom- 
plish more  good  in 
this  practical  way 
than  the  minister  of 
the  gospel.  The  pur- 
pose is,  therefore,  to 
found  Deaconess 
Homes  for  Negroes  in  all  parts  of  the  South,  and  to  train 
a  large  number  of  pious  young  colored  women  for  this  work. 
A  Deaconess  Training-school  has  been  established,  and 
it  is  a  pioneer  in  the  work  of  educating  the  colored  girls  to 
become  well-fitted  deaconesses  who  shall  work  "for  the  love 
of  Christ  and  in  his  name."  Rev.  W.  H.  Riley,  formerly 
of  Gammon  Theological  Seminar}^,  now  pastor  of  St.  John 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Cincinnati,  in  the  autumn  of 
1900,  aided  by  his  excellent  wife,  opened  his  home  to  Chris- 
tian girls  who  desired  to  be  specially  prepared  as  skilled 


Rev.  W.  H.  Riley. 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.       411 

workers  to  answer  the  cries  of  the  suffering  and  the  needy. 
There  came  to  this  school  seven  students,  with  no  money, 
and  at  first  no  friends.  These  girls  were  at  work  during 
the  day,  and  had  to  study  and  recite  in  the  evenings.  The 
first  year  one  thousand  missionary  calls  were  made,  help  was 
given  to  twenty-five  needy  families,  employment  found  for 
seventy-five  persons,  and  more  than  one  hundred  people 


The  Seven  Deaconesses  in  the  First  Training-school  for 
Colored  Deaconesses  in  the  United  States. 

hrought  to  the  church  and  Sunday-school.  The  students, 
in  addition,  passed  creditable  examinations  in  their  studies. 
In  the  second  year  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society 
pledged  $800  toward  the  work.  Mr.  Riley  and  his  wife  in- 
structed two  classes,  and  several  resident  clergymen  and 
physicians  lent  them  a  helping  hand  free  of  charge.  In 
the  autumn  of  1902  the  senior  class  graduated,  and,  as  far 
as  known,  these  were  the  first  graduating  deaconesses 
from  a  distinctive  colored  school.    The  names  of  the  grad- 


412         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

nates  are:  Dovie  Malissa  Riley,  Mary  Evangeline  Poin- 
dexter,  Eowena  Howard,  and  Martha  Jane  Joiner.  Rev. 
W.  H.  Riley  writes : 

"Ours  is  the  only  Deaconess  Training-school  among  col- 
ored people  in  the  United  States.  It  is  true  there  are 
schools  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  that  do  Dea- 


RoANOKE  Colored  Deaconess  Home. 


cones  Work,  and  several  colored  girls  have  gone  out  as  dea- 
conesses; but  ours  is  the  only  Deaconess  Training-school. 
Only  a  beginning  has  been  made  in  the  African  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  along  the  line  of  Deaconess  Work. 
Further  than  this,  they  have  called  a  few  women  together, 
and  have  put  on  them  the  deaconess  garb,  and  have  started 
them  out  as  deaconesses  without  any  training  whatever. 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.        413 

But  the   movement  has   begun,   and   the   training-schools 
will  follow." 

EoANOKE  Colored  Deaconess  Home. 

The  African  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  an  organiza- 
tion whose  membership  consists  exclusively  of  colored  peo- 
ple, founded  a  Deaconess  Home  in  the  spring  of  1901. 
Bishop  B.  F.  Lee,  of  that  Church,  recognized  the  high  im- 
portance of  the  Deaconess  Movement,  and  devoted  much 
thought  to  the  subject.  Before  any  deaconesses  could  be 
trained  for  their  work,  he  had  an  opportunity  to  purchase 
some  valuable  property  in  a  convenient  location,  almost  in 
the  heart  of  Roanoke,  W.  Va.  H  comprises  two  squares, 
and  the  building  is  of  brick  and  contains  thirty-five  rooms. 
The  value  of  the  property  is  $20,000.  Bishop  Lee  visited 
Cincinnati  in  the  interest  of  the  cause.  He  is  evidently 
the  man  in  whose  hands  the  Deaconess  Work  of  the  African 
Church  will  prosper. 

The  Deaconess  Work  in  India. 

Shortly  after  the  adjournment  of  the  General  Confer- 
ence of  1888,  Bishop  Thoburn  returned  to  India,  accom- 
panied by  three  deaconesses.  Two  of  these,  Miss  Elizabeth 
Maxey  and  Miss  Catharine  E.  Blair,  both  from  Ohio,  are 
still  at  their  post.  The  third  withdrew  after  a  brief  serv- 
ice. At  the  first  Conference,  in  January,  1889,  a  state- 
ment of  the  character  and  conditions  of  the  deaconess 
service  was  publicly  made,  and  the  whole  subject  fully  dis- 
cussed. The  general  impression  made  was  favorable,  and 
Miss  Lucy  Sullivan,  who  had  gone  out  a  little  earlier,  was 
recognized  as  a  deaconess,  and  also  Miss  Phoebe  Rowe,  who 
had  been  born  and  brought  up  in  India,  and  been  ad- 
mitted by  the  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society  as  a 
worker  in  the  mission  field.     The  first  Home  was  opened 


414         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

in  Lucknow,  the  second  in  Calcutta.  At  present  deacon- 
esses are  employed  in  all  parts  of  India — from  Singapore 
in  the  southeast,  to  Eangoon  and  Calcutta  in  the  north; 
and  from  the  western  part,  where  the  Deaconess  Cause  is 
slowly  gaining  ground,  to  the  southern,  in  Madras  and 
Kolar,  where  two  Deaconess  Homes  have  been  founded. 
Large  institutions,  with  numerous  deaconesses,  are  not  met 
with  in  India ;  nor  will  that  be  the  case  for  many  years  to 
come.  The  missionaries  live  far  apart,  and,  in  some  in- 
stances, but  one  of  them  or  a  single  family  is  stationed  at 
a  place.  For  this  reason  there  would  be  no  use  in  employ- 
ing a  large  number  of  deaconesses  in  one  Home. 

The  largest  institution  is  located  in  Kolar,  and  we  are 
glad  to  be  able  to  present  a  good  picture  of  it.  Through 
a  munificent  gift  by  Mrs.  Fanny  Nast  Gamble,  of  Cincin- 
nati, a  building  was  erected.  In  1898,  Bishop  Thoburn 
laid  the  corner-stone,  and  to-day  the  structure  is  like  "a 
city  on  the  mountain,"  and  an  eloquent  witness  for  the 
power  of  the  Christian  religion.  On  a  plate  to  the  left  of 
the  main  entrance,  the  following  inscription  is  seen : 

"To  the  memory  of  William  A.  Gamble^  Cincinnati,  0., 
U.  S.  A.,  who  practiced  justice,  was  mild  and  forbearing, 
and  walked  humbly  before  his  God.  He  still  speaks,  al- 
though he  is  dead.  Born  September  1,  1845;  died  May 
2,  1897." 

The  situation  of  the  Home  is  beautiful.  In  the  rear, 
but  not  visible  in  the  picture,  the  high  Kolar  range  is 
seen.  The  building  fronts  toward  tlie  east,  and  the  apart- 
ments to  the  right  of  the  main  entrance  are  occupied  by 
the  deaconesses.  The  daily  work  is  begun  with  prayer. 
Every  Thursday  afternoon  those  connected  with  the  mis- 
sion, the  teachers  employed  in  the  orphanage,  and  other 
Christian  workers,  assemble  for  a  service,  and  on  Friday 
evening  the  Sunday-school  teachers  meet  to  prepare  the 


416 


HlSTOIU'  OF  THE   DeACONESS   MOVEMENT. 


lesson  for  the  coming  Sunday.  During  the  first  year 
the  Hindus  and  Mohammedans  came  from  a  great  dis- 
tance to  view  the  "palace,"  as  they  called  the  build- 
ing,  and   to    inform   themselves   concerning   its    purpose. 

Bishop  Thoburn 
is  anxious  to  have  a 
number  of  women 
trained  for  the  for- 
eign mission  work, 
the  demand  for 
such  workers  being 
great  in  all  parts  of 
India.  However, 
since  it  is  not  prob- 
able that  America 
will  supply  them, 
the  purpose  is  to 
train  native  women 
for  the  work. 
<  B  i  s  h  o  p  TholDurn 
writes  :  "If  the 
Methodist  Church 
had  sent  deacon- 
esses to  India  forty 
years  ago,  much 
more  would  have 
been  accomplished. 
I  rejoice,  however,  at  what  has  been  done  of  late  years." 
Our  principal  boarding-school,  the  Ladies'  Seminary  in 
Calcutta,  is  conducted  by  deaconesses;  two  of  our  papers 
are  edited  by  them ;  the  most  talented  and  successful  evan- 
gelist that  has  ever  labored  among  the  women  of  India 
is  also  a  deaconess;  and  the  same  can  be  said  of  one  of 
our  most  successful  lady  physicians.     The  field  of  activity 


Mrs.  Fanny  Nast  Gamble. 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.        417 

of  deaconesses  has  been  widened  in  India,  and  thus  an  im- 
portant problem  has  been  solved.  However,  we  need  more 
help ;  we  have  a  mission  field  among  the  natives,  embracing 
a  vast  territory,  within  the  limits  of  which  the  name  of 
Christ  has  never  been  heard.  Two  of  our  deaconesses  are 
employed  in  the  extreme  north,  where  eternal  snow  sepa- 
rates India  and  Thibet ;  three  others  are  laboring  in  the 
sunny  south  among  the  Malays  and  Chinese  in  Singapore, 
distant  only  ninety  miles  from  the  equator.  In  all  India 
and  Malaysia  there  are  at  present  forty  deaconesses;  but 
what  does  that  number  mean  in  a  mission  territory  with 
300,000,000  inhabitants  ? 

At  the  last  session  of  the  Bombay  Conference,  held  in 
the  city  of  Poonah,  a  most  excellent  English  lady,  who  came 
to  India  some  years  ago,  and  who  has  given  her  flour- 
ishing orphanage,  with  herself,  to  our  mission,  was  conse- 
crated as  a  Methodist  deaconess.  Every  one  familiar  with 
the  true  character  of  the  Deaconess  Movement  will  ap- 
preciate at  once  the  full  import  of  these  facts.  One  of  the 
most  striking  features  of  the  movement  is  its  almost  in- 
variable tendency  to  set  on  foot  other  forms  of  good  work, 
such  as  hospitals,  orphanages,  old  people's  homes,  children's 
refuges,  and  other  eleemosynary  institutions.  Each  Chris- 
tian woman  who  joins  this  select  band  of  workers,  if  in- 
spired by  the  true  spirit  of  a  deaconess,  is  pretty  sure  to  be 
found  ready  to  assist  in  every  good  work  of  this  kind. 

There  are  deaconesses  working  in  Lucknow,  Calcutta, 
Singapore,  Madras,  Kolar,  Muttra,  Rangoon,  Poonah,  Bom- 
bay, Dardeula,  Moradabad,  Bareilly,  Darjeeling,  Penang, 
and  a  number  of  other  cities.  It  is  the  intention  of  Bishop 
Thoburn  to  place  many  of  the  schools  and  seminaries  of 
learning,  and  all  the  benevolent  institutions  in  India,  in 
the  hands  of  deaconesses,  as  soon  as  a  sufficient  number 
has  been  trained. 
27 


418         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

DEACONESS  PERSONALS. 
Miss  Mary  E.  Lunn 

Was  born  in  Racine,  Wis.,  and  educated  in  Lawrence 
University,  Appleton,  Wis.  She  was  converted  in  early 
youth,  and  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at 
the  age  of  thirteen.  September  17,  1889,  she  entered  the 
Chicago  Training-school,  but  was  not  permitted  to  remain 
for  graduation,  being  sent,  in  December,  1889,  to  take 
charge  of  the  newly-opened  Deaconess  Home  and  Training- 
school  in  Boston,  Mass.  When,  in 
1896,  a  hospital  was  added  to  the 
work  there,  at  the  earnest  request 
of  the  Board  of  Managers,  she 
retained  the  general  oversight  of 
the  entire  work,  until,  in  1899, 
she  was  released  from  the  Home 
and  school  by  the  appointment  of 
two  other  deaconesses,  with  her- 
self to  superintendent  the  three 
houses.    Miss   Lunn    devoting   all 

her  time  to  the  hospital,   which 
Miss  Mart  E.  Lunn.  ,-,  ^    -,  i     -i  t        ^ 

greatly  needed  a  new  building  tor 

its  work.     In  May,  1901,  Miss  Lunn  resigned  for  needed 

rest,  and,   September,   1902,   entered  upon  her   duties   as 

superintendent  of  the   New  York   Deaconess   Home   and 

Training-school.     In  1897  she  was  privileged  to  study  the 

Deaconess  Work  at  Mildmay,  England,  and  Kaiserswerth 

and  Frankfort,  Germany,  after  having  visited  more  than  a 

dozen  of  the  Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States. 

Miss  Isabella  Thoburn 
Was  born  in  St.  Clairsville,  0.,  March  29,  1840.     She  re- 
ceived a  good  education,  graduating  from  the  Ladies'  Semi- 
nary in  Wheeling,  W.  Va.,  where  she  remained  for  a  while 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.        419 

as  a  teacher.    In  1866  she  accepted  a  call  to  the  principal- 
ship  of  the    Girls'   Seminary  at   Farmington,    0.      From 
early  youth  she  had  a  fervent  desire  to  enter  the  foreign 
mission  work,  but  the  idea  of  sending  out  unmarried  women 
as  missionaries  was  unknown  to  the  Church  at  that  time. 
Nevertheless  she  addressed  a  letter  to  the  missionary  sec- 
retary of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  New  York, 
asking  to  be  sent  to  India,  and  declaring  that  she  was  will- 
ing to  perform  the  humblest  work.    This  letter  embarrassed 
the  Mission  Board.     They  could  hardly  decline  the  offer, 
but  at  the  same  time  they  did  not  know  what  to  do  in  the 
matter.     Divine  providence,  however,  pointed  out  the  way 
to  them.     Several  ladies  convened  in  Boston  for  the  pur- 
pose of  founding  the  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society. 
When  Dr.  Durbin,  the  missionary  secretary,  heard  of  this 
meeting,  he  sent  Miss  Thoburn's  letter  to  these  ladies.    The 
communication  encouraged  them,   and  served  to  confirm 
them  in  their  proposed  undertaking.     By  this  new  society 
Miss  Thoburn  was  sent  to  India.     She  was  the  first  woman 
employed  as  a  missionary  in  the  foreign  field.    In  January, 
1870,  she  started  for  her  new  field  of  labor  in  company 
with  Miss  Clara  Swain,  M.  D.,  who  was  the  first  woman 
sent  abroad  from  America  in  the  capacity  of  a  medical 
missionary.    Hence  these  two  ladies  are  the  pioneer  workers 
in  India  of  the  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society.    Miss 
Swain's  work  in  India  resulted  in  the  founding  of  the  ''Lady 
Dufferin  Medical  Eelief  Movement,"  which  has  proved  a 
great  blessing,  and  is  supported  liberally  by  the  Indian 
Government.     In  Upper  India  Miss  Thoburn  founded  a 
girls'  school.     She  noticed  that  missionaries  attached  too 
little  importance  to  the  education  of  girls,  and  had,  until 
then,  founded  only  boys'  schools.     Miss  Thoburn's  object 
was  to  educate  the  girls  in  order  that  they  might  later  be 
true  mates  for  their  husbands,  and  bring  up  their  children 


420         HisTOHV  OF  THE  Deaconess  Movement. 

in  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  At  first  her  efforts  were  not 
favored  by  the  missionaries.  However,  in  the  course  of  a 
few  years  they  were  obliged  to  acknowledge  that  the  ex- 
traordinary achievements  justified  the  new  movement.     In 


Miss  ISABELiiA  Thoburn. 

April,  1900,  however,  after  the  lapse  of  thirty  years — years 
of  heroic  labor — in  her  address  before  the  Ecumenical  Mis- 
sionary Conference  in  New  York,  referring  to  another  great 
Indian  educator,  the  late  Dr.  Alexander  Duff,  and  quoting 
his  rather  pessimistic  pronouncement,  "You  might  as  well 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.        421 

try  to  scale  a  Chinese  wall  fifty  feet  high  as  to  hope  to 
educate  the  women  of  India/'  Miss  Thobiirn  naively  re- 
marked :  ^'The  wall  has  not  only  been  scaled,  but  thrown 
down;  there  are  to-day  advanced  schools  and  higher  edu- 
cational institutions  for  India's  women,  and  those  schools 
are  Christian." 

Miss  Thoburn  had  a  wide  vision  of  the  needs  of  India, 
and  saw  very  clearly  that  the  education,  enlightenment, 
and  conversion  of  the  women — the  mothers,  daughters, 
wives,  and  sisters  of  the  land — must  be  "the  door,  great 
and  effectual,"  opening  upon  the  evangelization  of  the  mul- 
tiplied millions  of  India  and  through  which  Christianity 
must  enter.  To  the  accomplishment  of  this  she  bent  all 
her  energies,  working  quietly,  planning  wisely,  and  pray- 
ing with  a  full  and  earnest  faith  that  India  would  be  won 
for  Christ.  She  was  always  confident  of  success;  for  she 
felt  that  the  work  was  God's  and  could  not  fail,  but  must 
go  on.  She  sought  to  develop  Christians,  earnest,  true,  and 
strong,  full  of  faith  and  courage,  who  in  turn  should  be- 
come flaming  heralds  and  evangelists.  Gifted  girls,  de- 
sirous to  learn,  crowded  to  the  school,  and  many  converted 
mothers  were  anxious  that  their  daughters  should  receive 
a  better  education  than  they  themselves  had  been  able 
to  obtain. 

JMiss  Thoburn  now  purchased  a  large  building,  sur- 
rounded by  a  garden.  When  the  school  had  been  in  opera- 
tion a  few  years,  the  applications  for  admission  became  so 
numerous  that  all  could  not  be  accommodated  for  want  of 
room.  While  conducting  this  school.  Miss  Thoburn  was 
also  engaged  in  "Zenana"  work ;  that  is,  she  visited  those 
women  who,  according  to  Oriental  custom,  are  excluded 
from  the  outer  world,  and  from  whose  presence  missionaries 
are  rigidly  excluded.  She  also  supervised  several  elemen- 
tary schools,  which  were  held  in  private  houses,  and  was 


422         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

instrumental  in  -upbuilding  those  parishes  which  were 
united  with  the  Anglican  Church  in  Lucknow.  In  1880 
she  returned  to  the  United  States  on  a  short  visit.  In  1886 
she  was  obliged  to  sever  her  connection  with  the  foreign 
mission-work  on  account  of  her  health,  and  again  came  to 
America.  For  two  years  she  was  obliged  to  abstain  from 
work.  In  1888,  her  health  having  improved,  she  took 
charge  of  the  first  Deaconess  Home  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  in  Chicago.  In  this  capacity  she  was  in- 
strumental, jointly  with  Mrs.  Lucy  Eider  Me3Tr,  in  up- 
building the  Deaconess  Cause.  She  impressed  the  Church 
with  the  high  importance  of  the  Deaconess  Work,  no  less 
by  her  humble  service  than  by  her  public  addresses  and 
published  articles.  In  December,  1888,  she  accepted  a 
call  to  superintend  the  second  Deaconess  Home  just  being 
established  in  American  Methodism,  the  Elizabeth  Gamble 
Home,  in  Cincinnati.  A  little  later,  Christ's  Hospital — the 
second  Deaconess  Hospital  to  be  established,  Wesley,  in 
Chicago,  being  the  first — was  founded  under  her  imme- 
diate oversight. 

Her  work  in  Cincinnati  was  crowned  with  success,  the 
same  as  it  had  been  in  Chicago,  and  the  hope  was  ex- 
pressed that  she  might  devote  the  remainder  of  her  life  to 
the  Deaconess  Cause  in  the  United  States.  She  was  re- 
quested to  visit  different  parts  of  the  country  from  time 
to  time,  for  the  purpose  of  founding  new  Homes. 

But  none  of  these  absorbing  things  could  relax  her 
interest  in  her  foreign  work,  and  in  the  midst  of  her  duties 
she  found  time  to  write  and  send  out  leaflets  and  address 
meetings  in  behalf  of  India.  Her  health  improved,  and, 
after  two  years  in  Cincinnati,  she  retui-ned  to  India.  Not- 
withstanding the  great  help  she  had  been  giving,  during 
her  convalescence,  to  the  work  at  home,  her  purpose  to  re- 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.        423 

turn  had  never  for  a  moment  faltered.  So,  wearing  the 
gray  costume,  which  has  now  been  generally  adopted  in 
India,  she  went  back  to  become,  with  Miss  Phoebe  Rowe, 
the  pioneer  deaconess  of  our  Church  in  India,  as  she  had 
been  one  of  the  two  pioneer  missionaries  of  the  Woman's 
Society. 

Miss  Thoburn's  interest  in  Deaconess  Work  did  not 
originate  with  the  school  in  Chicago.  She  herself  has  told 
the  story  in  an  article  contributed  to  the  Deaconess  Advo- 
cate of  May,  1894 : 

"The  beginnings  of  things  are  never  easy  to  trace.  They 
are  like  the  tiny  streams  that  are  neither  named  nor  noticed 
until  their  outflow  unites  and  a  river  is  formed.  I  am 
more  interested  in  the  deaconess  river  than  in  any  of  its 
rivulets,  but  I  write  as  much  as  I  can  recall  definitely  of 
our  particular  streamlet. 

"Before  I  left  India,  in  1886,  I  had  become  convinced 
of  two  things  that  we  have  since  thought  important  factors 
in  our  Deaconess  System;  first,  that  while  there  is  so  much 
to  be  done  in  the  world  it  is  impossible  to  accomplish  it  all, 
or  a  larger  part  of  it,  by  salaried  work ;  and  next,  that  life 
is  not  long  enough  nor  money  plenty  enough  to  spend  much 
of  it  either  on  the  clothes  we  wear. 

"In  India  I  had  been  associated  with  the  Mildmay  work- 
ers and  was  interested  in  the  plan,  and  especially  in  its 
training-school.  Such  a  school  has  been  in  my  mind  and 
heart  for  some  time.  My  brother  and  I  went  home  in  '86 
for  our  health.  During  the  few  weeks  we  spent  in  London 
on  the  way  home  my  sister  and  I  went  to  Mildmay  one  day. 
That  evening  we  planned  a  Deaconess  Home  some  time  in 
Calcutta.  The  next  definite  word  I  heard  about  deacon- 
esses was  in  the  report  of  the  second  Commencement  of  the 
Chicago  Training-school." 


424         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Once  more  Miss  Thoburn  came  to  America.  In  1899 
she  was  here  to  help  in  the  Twentieth-century  Offering. 
She  pleaded  for  Lucknow  College  and  the  womanhood  of 
India.  "I  must  have  $100,000/'  she  said,  "to  pay  our  debts, 
complete  our  buildings,  furnish  an  endowment  fund,  and 
make  our  college  entirely  self-supporting."  Multitudes  will 
recall  the  addresses  to  which  they  listened  in  the  Ecu- 
menical Conference  in  New  York  and  many  other  places 
all  over  this  land,  by  which  they  were  stirred  to  holier  liv- 
ing, loving,  and  giving. 

At  the  close  of  the  great  Ecumenical  Mission  Confer- 
ence in  New  York  in  1900  she  sailed  for  India,  and  re- 
sumed her  work,  not  knowing  that  her  race  was  nearly  run. 
On  September  1,  1901,  she  died  at  her  post  of  duty.  She 
became  a  victim  of  cholera.  She  was  a  worthy  sister  of 
her  noted  brother,  J.  M.  Thoburn,  Bishop  of  India  and 
Malaysia.    He  says  of  her : 

"My  sister  was  an  exceptional  woman,  one  among  ten 
thousand.  Her  strong  character  was  notable  for  its  sim- 
plicity. Her  splendid  courage  was  in  striking  contrast 
with  her  quietness  of  spirit.  She  was  conservative  by  in- 
stinct and  progressive  from  conviction.  She  was  perfectly 
calm  in  times  of  storm,  and  always  confident  in  the  face 
of  disaster.  Her  faith  was  like  a  clear  evidence,  her  hope 
like  an  assurance  of  things  not  seen.  Her  absolute  de- 
votion to  the  welfare  of  those  who  seemed  to  be  thrown  in 
her  way  was  simply  Christlike.  Once  when  an  epidemic 
of  smallpox  prevailed  in  Lucknow  and  all  nurses  had  been 
engaged,  a  Bengalee  lady  w^as  stricken  down  with  what  the 
doctor  pronounced  a  hopeless  attack  of  the  prevailing 
scourge.  Failing  to  find  a  nurse,  my  sister  came  home, 
arranged  the  house,  set  in  order  her  personal  affairs,  kissed 
me  good-bye,  and  deliberately  shut  herself  up  with  a  case 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.        425 

of  confluent  smallpox  for  a  month.  At  the  end  of  the  term 
she  came  out  unharmed,  having  in  the  meantime  saved  the 
life  of  the  sufl'erer.  Literally  she  shrank  from  nothing 
when  a  question  of  duty  was  involved.  My  sister  died  in 
her  best  prime,  but  she  had  completed  a  well-rounded  life. 
The  great  tasks  of  her  life  had  all  been  finished,  and  they 
had  all  been  well  finished.  A  great  multitude  of  many 
races  had  become  her  debtors;  and, while  we  bend  in  sor- 
row here,  these  ransomed  heirs  of  a  better  world  have  no 
doubt  received  her  with  joyous  acclaim  to  an  everlasting 
habitation.  Would  to  'God  that  a  thousand  young  women 
of  like  spirit  might  be  raised  up  for  the  splendid  oppor- 
tunities which  are  now  opening  up  before  the  Church  V 

Mary  Eva  Gregg 
Is  at  present  principal  of  a  Deaconess  Training-school  in 
Muttra,  India.  She  is  a  graduate  of  the  Iowa  Wesleyan 
University,  and  in  1891  she  entered 
the  Deaconess  Home  in  Chicago. 
Later  she  made  a  journey  to  Pales- 
tine, and  visited  Kaiserswerth  and 
other  prominent  Deaconess  Homes 
in  Europe,  thus  preparing  herself 
for  the  position  of  teacher  in 
a  training-school.  Until  1899  she 
was  instructor  in  the  Deaconess  mary  eva  gregg. 
Training-school  in  Chicago,  and  president  of  the  Deaconess 
Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In  the  fall 
of  1899  she  left  for  India. 

Isabella  A.  Reeves 
Is  one  of  the  first  deaconesses  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  LTnited  States.    She  was  consecrated  in  1889, 


426 


History  of  tpie  Deaconess  Movement. 


shortly  after  the  founding  of  the  Deaconess  Work.     She 

prepared  herself  for  teaching,  and  had  gained  considerable 
experience  in  the  school-room,  but 
she  felt  drawn  toward  mission  work. 
She  therefore  entered  the  Deaconess 
Training-school  in  Chicago,  with  a 
view  of  devotino^  herself  to  the  Dea- 
coness  Work.  In  1891  she  was  made 
head  of  the  New  York  Deaconess 
Home,  and  in  1897  she  was  called 
Isabella  A.  Reeves,     to    superintend    the    Old    People's 

Home  in  Evanston,  111.,  which  is  under  the  management 

of  deaconesses. 


Anna  Agnes  Abbott 

Was  the  corresponding  secretary  of 
the  Deaconess  Society  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Chicago  Deaconess  Home, 
and  was  successful  in  managing  the 
affairs  of  the  society.  She  is  at  pres- 
ent in  Godhra,  India,  in  charge  of 
an  orphanage.  Three  hundred  little 
children  are  under  her  care. 


Anna  Agnes  Abbott. 


Helen  Ingram 

Is  a  missionary  deaconess  in  India. 
She  is  a  native  of  India,  and  was 
i)orn  of  wealthy  parents.  Her  father 
was  an  English  barrister,  and  her 
mother  a  Mohammedan  princess, 
both  converted  under  Bishop  Tho- 


HeLEN  INGRAM. 


Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States.        427 


burn.  She  has  given  up  a  beautiful  home,  with  every  com- 
fort and  luxury,  to  devote  herself  to  the  missionary  service, 
her  consecrated  parents  meeting  all  the  expenses  of  her 
work.  She  has  recently  visited  and  studied  in  the  Chicago 
Training-school.  She  also  visited  several  other  institutions 
while  in  America,  thus  preparing  herself  thoroughly  for  her 
calling.  She  then  returned  to  India,  where  as  a  deaconess, 
she  has  become  a  blessing  to  her  people. 

^Johanna  M.  Baur. 

She  is  a  member  of  the  German  Deaconess  Home  in  Cin- 
cinnati, and  was  during  the  last  seven  years  matron  of  the 
Branch  Hospital,  called 
Union  Hospital,  in  Terre 
Haute,  Ind.  She  was  born 
on  a  farm  in  Michigan 
and  brought  up  by  pious 
parents.  In  1882  she 
joined  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  in  Bay  City, 
Mich.,  after  experiencing  a 
change  of  heart.  After 
her  conversion  she  felt  a 
desire  to  become  a  nurse 
and  thus  to  relieve  human 

suffering.  In  August,  1891,  while  attending  the  Lake- 
side Camp-meeting,  she  listened  to  an  address  on  the  Dea- 
coness Work  by  Dr.  Henry  Liebhart,  and  also  made  -the 
acquaintance  of  Sister  Louise  Colder.  As  a  result,  she 
went  to  Cincinnati  and  entered  the  Deaconess  Service.  She 
is  happy  in  her  chosen  work,  and  the  new  hospital  build- 
ing in  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  is  principally  the  result  of  her 
efforts. 


Johanna  M.  Baur. 


428 


History  op  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


In  1897  the  German  Branch  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  United  States  organized  the  Central  Dea- 
coness Board,  a  hody  having  authority  over  all  German 
Deaconess  Institutes.  These  will  be  the  subject  of  a  special 
chapter. 


CHAPTER  Xn. 

DEACONESS  HOMES  OF  GERMAN  METHODISTS  IN  THE 
UNITED  STATES. 

The  idea  of  establishing  a  Mother  House  for  Deacon- 
esses was  frequently  advocated  in  the  Christliche  Apologete, 
the  German  organ  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of 
the  United  States,  as  well  as  at  Annual  Conferences  and 
district  meetings.  A  pattern  to  copy  after  was  furnished 
in  the  happy  initiative  taken  by  the  Methodists  of  Ger- 
many in  the  city  of  Frankfort  on  the  Main.  In  his  travels 
through  Germany  in  18 78  the  author  of  the  present  book 
made  himself  familiar  with  the  Deaconess  Work  in  that 
country,  and  upon  his  return,  after  publishing  a  series  of 
articles  relating  his  experience,  he  read  a  paper  on  the  sub- 
ject before  the  North  Ohio  District  Meeting  of  the  Central 
German  Conference  (18?9).  Deep  interest  was  aroused, 
and  the  Central  German  Conference,  to  whose  considera- 
tion the  question  was  brought  in  1881,  would  probably 
have  been  ready  at  that  time  to  establish  a  Home  if  the 
presiding  bishop  had  not  declared  that  the  Deaconess 
Movement  had  no  future  in  America  and  was  impracticable 
and  superfluous.  Although  the  Conference  was  offered  a 
house  in  Cleveland  besides  a  legacy  of  $25,000,  and  a  num- 
ber of  young  women  had  presented  themselves  for  this 
service,  the  Conference  lost  all  courage  at  that  time  to 
begin  the  work. 

When,  in  the  year  1888,  the  Elizabeth  Gamble  Dea- 
coness Home  was  established  in  Cincinnati  by  Methodists 
of  the  English  tongue,  German  Methodists  were  called  upon 
to  assist,  and  among  the  first  deaconesses  who  entered  the 

429 


430         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

institution  was  Miss  Louise  Golder,  the  present  directress 
of  the  German  Methodist  Mother  House.  In  a  short  time 
fifteen  German  deaconesses  had  been  admitted,  and  in 
numerous  other  English-speaking  Deaconess  Homes  in  all 
parts  of  the  countr}^  many  young  women  in  the  German 
Methodist  Church  felt  themselves  called  to  this  blessed 
work.  It  was  the  searching  eye  of  Dr.  Henry  Liebhart 
that  recognized  the  importance  of  an  exclusively  German 
Deaconess  Movement  for  German  Methodism,  and  in  1891* 
he  wrote  as  follows:  ^'Our  mission  is  fully  as  significant 
in  every  respect  as  that  of  our  English-speaking  brethren. 
There  is  but  one  difl'erence,  and  it  is  that  we  must  accom- 
plish it  through  the  medium  of  the  German  language,  and 
have  regard  for  the  education,  views,  and  character  of  the 
German  people.  For  these  reasons,  with  the  approval  of 
the  Church,  German  congregations,  German  schools,  Ger- 
man orphanages,  and  German  Conferences  have  arisen,  and 
the  German  Ej^worth  League  was  established.  Why  not, 
therefore,  have  German  Deaconess  Homes,  especially  as  the 
Deaconess  Movement  is  to  be  a  lever  for  home  mission 
work  among  the  Germans  ?  The  best  capital  for  an  under- 
taking of  this  kind  is  young  blood — consecrated  Christian 
young  women.  This  capital  we  have  in  our  German  dea- 
conesses and  young  women  who,  for  the  love  of  Christ,  are 
willing  to  perform  the  most  menial  Samaritan  service  for 
rich  and  poor,  high  and  low,  and  this  is  worth  more  for 
the  Deaconess  Cause  than  many  hundredweight  of  gold." 
The  necessity  for  a  German  Mother  House  became  more 
and  more  apparent  to  the  entire  Church,  and  in  St.  Paul, 
Minn.,  on  the  12th  of  January,  1891,  through  the  liberal 
donation  of  a  house,  the  Elizabeth  Haas  Deaconess  Home 
was  established.  At  the  General  Conference  in  Omaha, 
May,  1892,  the  German  delegates  resolved  to  establish  a 

*Haus  und  Herd^  December,  1891. 


432  IilSTORY  OF  THE   DeACONESS   MOVEMENT. 

German  Mother  House  in  Chicago  as  soon  as  $25,000  could 
be  secured  for  that  purpose.  A  committee  was  appointed 
for  the  drafting  of  a  plan,  the  collection  of  funds,  and  the 
ultimate  establishment  of  the  institution.  Two  months 
later  this  committee  met  in  Chicago  and  put  the  machinery 
in  motion.  Meanwhile  a  German  Deaconess  Institute  was 
founded  in  Chicago,  which  made  good  progress,  but,  un- 
fortunately, did  not  succeed  in  raising  the  stipulated  sum 
of  $25,000.  When  the  German  delegates  at  the  General 
Conference  in  Cleveland  (1896)  confronted  this  problem, 
they  resolved  to  build  the  Mother  House  in  Cincinnati,  on 
condition  that  the  first  $25,000  be  raised  by  November, 
1896.  This  was  done,  and  in  Xovember,  1897,  the  Central 
Deaconess  Board,  with  its  newly-constituted  members  from 
the  Annual  Conferences,  held  its  meeting  in  that  city. 
Meanwhile,  in  addition  to  those  in  St.  Paul  and  Chicago, 
Deaconess  Homes  had  been  established  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
and  Louisville,  Ky.  As  Cincinnati  had  met  the  required 
conditions,  the  Central  Deaconess  Board  resolved  to  con- 
sider the  Cincinnati  institution  as  the  Mother  House  of 
German  Methodism,  requiring  that  future  Homes,  as  far 
as  possible,  be  affiliated  with  it  as  branch  houses,  and  that 
the  other  established  Deaconess  Homes,  previously  men- 
tioned, be  considered  "local  institutions,"  having  the  same 
relation  to  the  Board  as  the  Mother  House  itself. 

The  Central  Deaconess  Board  is  composed  as  follows: 

1.  Of  two  members  each — a  preacher  and  layman — from 
each   German  Annual   Conference  in  the  United   States; 

2.  Of  one  male  or  female  representative  of  each  German 
Deaconess  Home  for  every  fifteen  (and  a  fraction  of  two- 
thirds  of  this  number)  consecrated  deaconesses  connected 
therewith ;  3.  Of  seven  members  of  the  Board  of  Managers 
of  the  Mother  House,  three  ministers,  and  four  laymen. 
It  is  the  duty  of  the  Central  Deaconess  Board  to  make 


German  Methodists  in  the  United  States.      433 

regulations  in  conformity  with  the  Discipline  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  for  the  reception,  dismissal,  train- 
ing, costuming,  efficiency,  and  maintenance  of  the  deacon- 
esses in  the  Conferences  to  which  they  belong,  as  well  as 
the  establishment  of  a  Eest  Home  and  a  permanent  fund 
for  wornout  and  retired  deaconesses.  The  management  of 
the  property  of  the  different  local  institutions  is  left  in 
the  hands  of  the  respective  local  Boards.  While  the  local 
Boards  are  independent  of  the  Mother  House,  they  are, 
like  the  latter,  subject  to  the  laws  and  regulations  of  the 
Central  Board.  As  the  Mother  House,  so  each  local  insti- 
tution has  its  own  Board  of  Managers,  exercising  exclusive 
control  over  its  property.  The  Central  Board  has  nothing 
to  do  with  the  question  of  property,  but  it  manages  the 
fund  for  the  future  maintenance  of  retired  deaconesses, 
to  which  each  institution  for  ten  consecutive  years  con- 
tributes an  amount  equal  to  ten  dollars  for  each  conse- 
crated deaconess.  This  fund  is  to  be  increased  by  dona- 
tions and  legacies.  By  the  exceedingly  liberal  gifts  of 
several  friends,  it  has  made  a  very  creditable  beginning. 
The  Central  Board,  up  to  1900,  met  in  Cincinnati  an- 
nually, but  it  was  then  determined  it  should  meet  bi- 
ennially at  such  places  as  should  be  designated  from  time 
to  time.  The  object  of  obtaining  a  uniform  administration 
by  means  of  this  Board  has  been  perfectly  accomplished. 
The  system  is  considered  the  most  effective  in  the  United 
States,  and  is  worthy  of  imitation.  Let  us  now  direct  our 
attention  to  the  institutions  under  the  management  of  the 
Central  Board. 

The  Mother  House  and  Betiiesda  Hospital,  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio. 

In  the  year  1S94  an  aged  widow  sent  a  check  for  $100 
to  the  editor  of  the  Christliche  Apologete  in  Cincinnati  as 
28 


434 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


a  first  contribution  to  the  erection  of  a  Deaconess  Mother 
House.  On  New- Year's  Day,  1895,  Mr.  John  Kolbe,  of 
Cincinnati,  the  present  treasurer  of  the  Mother  House, 
offered  to  give  $1,000  for  the  same  purpose,  and  shortly 
afterward  Mr.  F.  X.  Kreitler,*  a  warm  friend  of  the  Dea- 
coness Movement,  who  lives  in  Pennsylvania,  promised  to 

^ive    $5,000    provided 


,^f^ 


^ 


$25,000  should  be 
raised  in  the  course  of 
the  year  for  the  Mother 
House  in  Cincinnati. 
These  sums  were  of- 
f  e  r  e  d  spontaneously, 
and  in  this  act  was 
recognized  the  Hand  of 
Divine  Providence,  so 
that  the  Central  Ger- 
man Conference,  which 
met  in  1895  in  Cincin- 
nati, after  a  thorough 
discussion,  ^^assed  the 
following  resolution: 
"While  we  rejoice 
in  the  success  of  the  Elizabeth  Gamble  Deaconess  Home 
and  give  it  our  fullest  confidence,  we  are  neverthe- 
less convinced  that  our  mission  among  the  German  people 
would  be  much  better  j^romoted  and  our  German  Churches 
would  interest  themselves  much  more  for  the  Deaconess 
Cause  if  we  could  establish  an  independent  German  Dea- 
coness Home.  We  heartily  commend  this  jDroject  to  our 
well-to-do  German  Methodists.'^ 


Frank  X.  Kreitler. 


*Thls  warm-hearted  friend  of  the  Deaconess  Movement,  who  be- 
came acquainted  with  it  while  traveling  through  Germany,  has,  since 
the  founding  of  the  Mother  House,  given  a  large  share  of  his  means  for 
the  support  of  this  glorious  work. 


German  Methodists  in  the  United  States.      435 

The  Lay  Conference,  at  the  same  time  and  place,  gave 
unanimous  expression  to  similar  views,  and  requested  its 
delegates  to  the  next  General  Conference  to  exert  them- 
selves for  the  establishment  of  a  German  Mother  House. 
The  Central  German  Conference  selected  a  committee 
with  authority  to  collect  funds  and  establish  a  Home  as 
soon  as  circumstances  justified  such  a  step.  Through  their 
connection  with  the  Elizabeth  Gamble  Deaconess  Home 
and  Christ's  Hospital  the  German  Methodist  Churches  of 
Cincinnati,  Covington,  and  Newport  had  acquired  a  knowl- 
edge of  and  interest  in  the  Deaconess  Work,  and  when 
several  German  deaconesses  left  that  institution  and  a  num- 
ber api^lied  for  admission  on  probation  the  above-named 
committee  resolved  to  request  the  management  of  the  Eliza- 
beth Gamble  Deaconess  Home  to  place  at  their  disposal 
an  experienced  and  capable  deaconess  to  be  at  the  head  of 
the, German  institution.  The  Board  of  Managers  complied 
with  this  request  in  the  most  magnanimous  manner,  and, 
in  response  to  a  special  wish,  relinquished  Miss  Louise 
Golder  to  the  German  committee  for  that  purpose.  On 
February  29,  189G,  Miss  Golder,  with  several  deaconesses 
and  probationers,  took  a  rented  house  at  Hopkins  Park, 
in  the  beautiful  suburb  of  Mt.  Auburn,  and  opened  the 
institution  which  w^as  to  enjoy  so  prosperous  a  future.  It 
was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  "German  Methodist 
Deaconess  Home  and  Bethesda  Hospital.'^  Two  years  later, 
in  April,  1898,  the  Board  was  enabled  to  purchase  the 
well-appointed  private  hos])ital  of  Dr.  T.  A.  Reamy  for 
$55,000,  and,  aided  by  a  liberal  donation  from  this  phy- 
sician, made  a  payment  of  $40,000  on  the  day  of  the  prop- 
erty's transfer,  canceling  the  entire  indebtedness  in  the 
spring  of  1901.  The  hospital  was  formally  opened  in  Sep- 
tember, 1898 ;  but  the  dedication  did  not  take  place  until 
the  property  was  free  from  debt.     This  occurred  with  ap- 


436  History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

propriate  ceremonies,  May  16,  1901.  The  property  lies  in 
Avondale,  one  of  the  most  charming  suburbs  of  Cincinnati, 
at  the  crossing  of  two  of  its  principal  streets,  and  at  an 
elevation  of  three  hundred  feet  above  the  Ohio  Kiver. 
From  the  windows  of  the  institution  one  may  have  a  good 
view  of  the  greater  part  of  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  as  well 
as  of  the  romantic  Ohio  Valley  and  into  the  State  of  Ken- 
tucky. The  building  has  fifty-two  well-ventilated  rooms, 
two  operating-rooms,  an  elevator,  and  is  heated  by  steam. 
Wide  verandas  inclose  three  sides  of  the  building,  and  ad- 
joining is  the  beautiful  Deaconess  Home.  Some  extensive 
additions  and  improvements  were  made,  so  that  the  institu- 
tion now  includes  an  adjacent  Maternity  Hospital,  a  steam 
laundry,  and  numbers  about  one  hundred  rooms.  The  in- 
creased value  of  the  property  is  estimated  at  $100,000.  The 
laundry  has  been  put  up  in  a  separate  structure,  from 
which  the  heating,  lighting,  and  hot  water  for  the  several 
buildings  are  supjjlied.  The  immediate  surroundings  of 
the  hospital  are  not  unlike  a  beautiful  park,  and  the  four 
edifices  at  the  corners  of  the  crossings  have  been  happily 
named:  Get  well;  Hope  well;  Do  well;  Live  well.  The 
first  of  these  has  been  given  to  the  Bethesda  Hospital. 

*  Xo  one  has  contributed  more  to  the  successful  develop- 
ment of  the  inner  life  of  the  institution  than  Miss  Louise 
Golder,  the  deaconess  superintendent.  From  her  earliest 
youth  she  was  impressed  with  the  desire  to  become  a  dea- 
coness and  consecrate  her  life  to  this  incomparable  voca- 
tion. She  came  to  America  in  1877,  and  took  a  brief 
course  at  the  German  Wallace  College  in  Berea,  0.  In 
1881,  when  it  seemed  that  German  Methodism  would  es- 
tablish a  Deaconess  Home  in  Cleveland,  she  was  the  first 
one  to  apply  for  admission,  and  great  was  her  disappoint- 
ment when  the  undertaking  failed  for  lack  of  sufficient 
appreciation  of  the  movemient.     Seven  years  later  she  en- 


German  Methodists  in  the  United  States.      437 


iered  the  newlj-establislied  Elizabeth  Gamble  Deaconess 
Home  in  Cincinnati,  being  the  first  German  deaconess  of 
the  Methodist  Church  in  the  United  States.  Here,  in  con- 
nection with  Christ's  Hospital,  she  gathered  valuable  ex- 
l^erience  as  one  of  the  nurse  deaconesses,  and,  after  five 
years  of  faithful  service,  was  granted  leave  of  absence 
to  carry  out  her  long-cherished  wish  of  acquainting  her- 
self with  the  Deaconess  Work  in  the  Fatherland.  She 
visited  the  institu- 
tions at  Kaiserswerth, 
Bielefeld,  Stuttgart, 
Strassburg,  A 1 1  o  n  a, 
and  also  spent  some 
time  in  the  two 
Mother  Houses  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  Frankfort 
on  the  Main  and 
Hamburg.  In  Berlin, 
at  the  Hospital  Fried- 
richshain,  she  com- 
pleted a  course  in 
nurse-training.  After 
familiarizing     herself 

with  the  management  of  the  most  prominent  German 
Mother  Houses,  she  returned  to  the  United  States,  ready 
to  give  the  full  benefit  of  her  experience  to  the  German 
Mother  House  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  \¥lien 
we  consider  that  this  institution  is  but  six  years  old,  and 
remember  how  vigorous  and  normal  has  been  its  growth 
and  how  much  it  has  been  made  to  conform  to  the  Ger- 
man pattern,  we  may  well  augur  for  it  a  great  future. 
If  we  except  the  Mary  J.  Drexel  Deaconess  Home  in 
Philadelphia,   it    is    probably    the    most    typical    German 


Miss  Louise  Qolder. 


438 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


Mother  House  in  the  United  States.  The  number  of  dea- 
conesses, including  probationers,  is  at  present  fifty-three, 
and,  besides  the  hospital  and  private  service,  they  are  act- 
ively employed  in  missionary  work  in  the  Churches,  in 
the  care  of  the  poor  and  the  sick,  and  in  conducting  seven 
branch  houses,  including  five  hospitals,  one  station,  three 


Rev.  W.  H.  Trakger. 


kindergartens,  two  day  nurseries,  one  clinic,  and  several 
sewing-schools.  It  is  the  intention  to  establish  an  Old 
People's  Home,  for  which  a  beginning  has  been  made  arid 
some  means  have  been  provided.  The  institution,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1900,  was  provided  with  a  superintendent  in  the 
person  of  Eev.  W.  H.  Traeger,  who  has  a  rich  experience 
in  the  pastorate  and  who  built  a  hospital  in  Burlington,  la. 


German  Methodists  in  the  United  States.      439 

The  Bethesda  Society  was  organized  as  early  as  1896. 
Its  members  contribute  one  dollar  or  more  annually,  and 
the  total  annual  receipts,  about  $1,500,  in  the  absence  of 
a  greater  j^ermanent  fund,  are  expended  for  the  care  of 
the  sick  in  the  hospital  and  in  the  ministry  of  the  poor. 
In  this  manner  a  larger  field  of  charity  is  made  possible. 
The  branches  of  the  Mother  House  are  as  follows:  Pulte 
College  Hospital,  Cincinnati,  0.;  Cincinnati  Kindergarten 
and  Day  Nursery;  Union  Hospital,  Terre  Haute,  Ind. ; 
Deaconess  Home,  Milwaukee,  Wis.;  Deaconess  Home  and 
Kindergarten,  La  Crosse,  Wis. ;  Deaconess  Home,  Kansas 
City,  Mo.;  Station,  Pittsburg,  Pa.;  Deaconess  Home  and 
Hospital,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. ;  Maternity  Hospital,  Cincin- 
nati, 0. 

The  extraordinary  progress  and  growth  of  the  Mother 
House  in  Cincinnati  may  be  gathered  from  the  following 
figures,  representing  the  annual  receipts :  First  year, 
$3,300;  second  year,  $3,650;  third  year,  $6,725;  fourth 
year,  $11,500;  fifth  year,  $16,200;  and  the  sixth  year, 
$22,400.  Including  all  Branch  Homes,  the  running  ex- 
penses amounted,  in  1902,  to  over  $45,000.  One-third  of 
the  entire  work  is  done  withoi\t  compensation. 

The  deaconesses  are  instructed  in  the  following  course 
of  study:  1.  German  and  English  Grammar;  2.  Bible  His- 
tory; 3.  Church  History;  4.  History  of  Methodism;  5. 
Catechism  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church — jSTast;  6. 
History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement  in  the  Christian 
Church — Colder;  7.  How  to  Bring  Men  to  Christ — Torry; 
8.  The  Life  of  Christ;  9.  Manual  of  Nursing — Duemling; 
10.  Materia  Medica;  11.  Forty  lectures  annually  from  staff 
of  physicians;  12.  Course  of  Bible  lectures  by  the  city 
pastors. 


440 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


.  The  German  Deaconess  Institute  in  Chicago. 

This  Home  was  founded  in  May,  1892,  by  the  German 
]\Iethodist  preachers  of  that  city.  The  first  impulse  to  the 
work  was  given  by  Deaconess  Margaretha  Dreyer,  at  that 
time  assistant  secretary  of  the  Woman's  Foreign  Mission- 
ary Society,  who  had  prepared  herself  for  her  high  calling 
in  the  Chicago  Deaconess  Training-schooL     The  institu- 


German  Deaconess  Institute,  Chicago,  111. 


tion  was  opened  with  several  deaconesses  in  a  rented  house, 
and  Margaretha  Dreyer  was  the  first  directress.  After  a 
few  years  a  question  of  principle  arose  between  her  and 
the  Board  of  Managers,  resulting  in  the  withdrawal  of  her- 
self and  seven  of  the  twelve  deaconesses  from  the  institu- 
tion, and  the  founding  of  the  "Emanuel  Deaconess  Home." 
The  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Deaconess  Institute 
purchased  their  own  house  in  May,  1895,  and  the  prop- 
erty, representing  a  value  of  $5,000,  is  free  from  debt. 


German  Methodists  in  the  United  States.      441 


Seven  deaconesses  are  connected  with  the  institution.  Two 
have  received  their  training  in  the  Mother  House  at  Cin- 
cinnati.    Miss  Helena  Pape  is  head  deaconess. 

The  Bethany  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital^ 
Brooklyn^  N.  Y. 

This  institution  was  established  February,  1893,  in  the 
upper  story  of  a  house,  1192  Green  Avenue,  by  several 
preachers  of  the  East  German  Conference.  A  deaconess 
of  the  Bethany  Society  in 
Hamburg,  Sophie  Nuss- 
berger,  was  placed  in 
charge,  and  the  institution 
opened  with  two  probation- 
ers. The  management  was 
in  the  hands  of  a  Provi- 
sional Committee  until,  in 
May,  1891,  the  Bethany  So- 
ciety was  established,  a  con- 
stitution adopted,  and  a 
Board  of  Managers  ap- 
pointed.  The  latter  consists 

of  six  members  of  the  East  German  Conference  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  of  the  two  presiding  elders  of  this 
Conference  (ex  officio),  and  of  six  women,  who  must  be 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  This  Board 
fills  its  own  vacancies,  subject  to  the  approval  of  Conference. 
The  society  was  incorporated  in  accordance  with  the  laws 
of  the  State  of  New  York.  When  Miss  Nussberger  with- 
drew from  the  superintendence  at  the  expiration  of  th^ 
first  year,  Martha  Binder,  who  for  eight  years  had  been 
in  charge  of  the  Bethany  Deaconess  Home  in  Zurich,  was 
chosen  head  deaconess.     She  has  ever  since,  with  great 


Martha  Binder. 


442        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

fidelity,  attended  to  the  duties  of  her  office.  Catharine 
Hartmann,  a  member  of  Greene  Avenue  German  Meth- 
odist Church,  offered  to  turn  over  to  the  Bethesda  Society 
a  large  three-story  dwelling  on  Green  Avenue,  represent- 
ing a  value  of  $7,000,  on  condition  that  she  be  privileged 
to  use  a  few  rooms  for  herself  until  her  death.  The  offer 
was  gratefully  accepted.     The  institution  has  since  had  a 


Bethany  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


healthful  growth,  and  the  number  of  deaconesses,  includ- 
ing probationers,  has  been  increased  to  eight.  Kecently 
the  Board  of  Managers  acquired  possession  of  a  large  and 
centrally-located  site — 100  x  165  feet — and  have  built  a 
well-appointed  hospital  and  Deaconess  Home,  and  the 
corner-stone  of  this-  beautiful  edifice  was  laid  on  November 
5,  1901,  and  the  dedication  of  the  building  took  place 
September  16,  1902.  The  three-story  building  can  ac- 
commodate thirty  patients  besides  the  deaconesses  of  the 


German  Methodists  in  the  United  States.      443 

Home.  It  is  constructed  in  the  most  substantial  manner, 
and  furnished  with  all  modern  improvements  and  con- 
veniences. The  first  floor  is  mainly  taken  up  by  a  spacious 
hall,  parlor,  reception-room,  office,  sewing-room,  dining 
hall,  kitchen,  matron's  room,  etc.  The  operating  and 
sterilizing  rooms  are  lighted  by  large  skylights,  and  fur- 
nished with  the  most  complete  modern  implements  of  sur- 
gery. All  the  rooms,  except  those  tiled  according  to  law, 
are  laid  with  solid  oak  parquet 
floors,  and  an  elevator  will  make 
the  removal  of  patients  from  one 
floor  to  tlie  other  very  easy.  The 
whole  building  is  heated  by  hot 
water  pipes,  and  lighted  by  gas  an^d 
electricity.  A  commodious  veranda 
will  be  a  splendid  airing-place  for 
convalescents,  and  the  grounds 
around  the  building  are  made  as 
attractive  as  possible.  The  property, 
situated  at  the  corner  of  St.  Nicholas 
Avenue    and    Bleecker    Street,    has 

cost  $42,000.  Eev.  L.  Wallon,  who  has  made  a  close  study 
of  the  Deaconess  Movement  in  German,  is  president  of  the 
Board  of  Managers.  To  his  able  and  wise  management 
and  untiring  zeal  the  success  of  the  institution  is  due  to  a 
great  extent.  Eev.  Wallon  has  also  been  a  member  of  the 
Central  Deaconess  Board  since  it  was  organized.  His  prac- 
tical grasp  of  the  present  needs  entitle  him  to  a  full  share 
in  the  healthy  development  of  the  Central  Board. 


Rev.  L.  WALiiON. 


The   Deaconess   Home   and  Hospital   in   Louisville^ 
Kentucky^ 

Received  its  impulse  from  Rev.  Jacob  Rothweiler,  D.  D., 
at    that    time    presiding    elder    of    the    Louisville    Dis- 


444 


History  of  the  Beacoxess  Movement'. 


trict,  living  in  Albany,  Ind.  He  was  instrumental 
in  effecting  an  organization  in  October,  1895,  in  which 
the  six  German  Methodist  Churches  of  the  Falls  Cities 
were  represented.  A  beginning  was  made  by  two  deacon- 
esses undertaking  the  management  of  the  Homeopathic 
Hospital.  The  present  property  was  acquired  February 
24,  1898,  at  a  cost  of  $16,000,  and  completely  paid  for 


Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in  Louisville,  Kt. 


two  years  later.  It  is  a  spacious  private  residence  sur- 
rounded by  large  shade-trees,  and  the  property  offers  room 
for  a  future  hospital,  the  erection  of  which  will  be  begun 
as  soon  as  two-thirds  of  the  required  sum  of  $25,000  has 
been  raised.  The  hospital  has  two  medical  staffs — a 
homeopathic  and  an  allopathic  one — and  the  president  of 
the  Board  of  Managers  is  Rev.  E.  G.  Hiller,  who  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Central  Deaconess  Board.  Deaconess 
Louise  Bockstahler  was  the  head  deaconess,  but,  on  account 


German  Methodists  in  the  United  States.      445 

of  impaired   health,   was   compelled   to   resign,   and   Miss 
E.   A.    Borcherding  was   appointed.      There   are   six  dea- 
conesses  in   the   institution,   and   one 
of  them  is  parish  deaconess.     October 
1,  1902,  Rev.  J.  F.  Severinghaus  en- 
tered   upon    his    duties    as    superin- 
tendent   of    the    institution.      He    is 
able    and    practical,    and    has    some 
experience    in   erecting   hospitals    and 
raising  funds  for  institutions.     Under 
his  wise  management  the  Home  will 
have  a  still  greater  future.     Plans  for, 
a    fine    new    hospital    building    have    J' ^^- s^^^^^^^^s- 
been  accepted,  and  it  will  be  erected  as  soon  as  two-thirds 
of  the  necessary  funds  have  been  raised. 

The  Elizabeth  Haas  Deaconess  Home,  in  St.  Paul, 

Minnesota^ 
Which  was  founded  in  the  year  1891  as  the  first  German 
Deaconess  Home  in  the  United  States,  after  an  existence 
of  seven  years,  has  unfortunately  ceased  to  exist.  The  or- 
ganization, however,  has  been  continued,  and  it  is  expected, 
as  soon  as  possible,  to  open  up  a  new  institution  in  the 
heart  of  the  city  of  St.  Paul,  probably  as  a  branch  of  the 
Mother  House. 

Emanuel  Deaconess  Home,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

The  Emanuel  Deaconess  Society  was  organized  on 
Thanksgiving-day,  1897,  in  Chicago,  111.  The  five  charter 
members  are :  Margaretha  Dreyer,  Mary  Kaeser,  Martha  A. 
Brose,  Elizabeth  Kaeser,  and  Magdalena  R.  Haefner.  The 
society  rented  a  house  on  La  Salle  Street,  and  Miss  Mar- 
garetha Dreyer  became  superintendent  of  the  Home.  By 
invitation  of  the  Deaconess  Board  of  the  Western  German 


446  HiSTOKY   OF   THE   DeACOXESS   MOVEMENT. 

Conference  of  the  Metlioclist  Ei^iscopal  Church,  the  five 
deaconesses  of  the  Home  moved  to  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  in 
November,  1901.  A  house  was  rented  on  West  Seventeenth 
Street,  and  the  deaconesses  have  since  rendered  good  service 
in  nursing  and  parish  work.  The  income  in  the  first  year 
was  $829.50.  Two  of  the  deaconesses  have  a  nurse-training. 
The  develo])ment  and  present  condition  of  the  German 
Methodist  Deaconess  Work  affords  abundant  cause  for 
gratitude,  and  promises  great  things  for  the  future.  Dr. 
A.  :Ji  Nast,  editor  of  the  Cli.ristliche  Apologete,  on  occasion 
of  the  dedication  of  the  Mother  House,  expressed  his  con- 
viction that  the  secret  of  this  healthful  progress  is  to  be 
found  in  the  following  reasons:  "The  Christliclie  Apolo- 
gete/'  said  he,  "from  the  beginning  believed  that  it  must 
recognize  in  this  branch  of  women's  work  in  the  Church  a 
special  sign  of  Divine  Providence  for  the  carrying  on  of 
our  German  work  in  the  new  stage  of  history  upon  which 
it  has  entered.  It  appeals,  in  the  first  place,  with  particular 
force  to  the  German  mind  and  German  sentiment  in  con- 
trast with  the  prevalent  ideas  of  woman's  emancipation, 
which  in  these  times  have  obtruded  themselves  upon  us 
in  so  marked  a  manner.  Two  womanly  virtues  shine  out 
with  special  luster  in  the  work  of  the  deaconesses :  self- 
sacrificing  love  for  Jesus'  sake,  and  true  womanliness.  In 
the  second  place,  the  care  of  the  poor  and  sick  by  these 
consecrated  w^omen  has  opened  for  our  German  Church 
a  new  and  effectual  door  to  the  hearts  of  a  large  number 
of  Germans  in  our  great  cities,  who,  on  account  of  their 
prejudices,  and  for  other  reasons,  could  have  been  reached 
by  us  only  with  difficulty.  In  the  third  place,  German 
Methodism,  thanks  be  to  God !  is  not  lacking  in  proper 
material  for  this  blessed  activity.  There  are  in  our  Ger- 
man Methodist  Churches,  in  city  and  country,  hundreds 
and  hundreds  of  strong,  healthy,  and  consecrated  young 


German  Methodists  in  the  United  States.      447 

women  who  have  the  necessary  physical,  intellectual,  and 
religious  endowment  to  choose  this  vocation  in  the  service 
of  God  and  of  the  Church.  Finally,  Methodism  is  es- 
pecially adapted,  by  its  very  spirit  and  genius,  to  carry 
out  this  work  of  love  with  devotion,  zeal,  and  success. 
The  employment  of  the  varied  work  and  talents  of  the 
laity,  and  the  large  liberty  given  to  women  in  the  advance- 
ment of  the  kingdom  of  God  have,  from  the  beginning,  been 
two  leading  characteristics  by  which  Methodism  differed 
and  distinguished  itself  from  the  other  denominations.  An- 
other distinction  lies  in  its  practical  character.  We  believe 
that  the  New  Testament  idea  of  the  female  diaconate  was 
destined  to  reach  its  complete  and  diversified  realization 
in  no  other  Church  so  readily  as  in  the  Methodist  Church. 
Her  teaching  of  a  personal  experience  of  salvation,  attested 
by  the  Holy  Spirit,  her  ardent  love  for  sinners,  her  en- 
couragement of  individual  labor  for  the  Lord,  her  capacity 
of  easily  adapting  herself  to  the  existing  conditions  of  time 
and  place,  and  her  joyful  spirit  and  freedom  and  sym- 
pathy with  the  common  people,  present,  altogether,  the 
most  favorable  soil  for  the  vigorous  growth  of  this  new  and 
beautiful  plant  of  Christian  activity.^' 

The  history  of  the  past  few  years  has  abundantly 
demonstrated  the  truth  of  these  assertions.  A  warm  inter- 
est has  been  awakened  in  this  work,  not  only  in  Cincin- 
nati, but  in  many  other  places,  and  it  has  been  constantly 
on  the  increase  in  proportion  to  the  degree  in  which  our 
preachers  and  members  have  become  more  fully  acquainted 
with  it.  It  is  still  in  its  beginning,  but  this  beginning  is 
very  promising. 

The  German  Methodist  Deaconess  Homes  belong  to  one 
or  the  other  of  the  following  organizations:  The  Central 
Deaconess  Board  of  the  United  States,  and  the  Bethany 
Society  or  the  ^lartha-Mary  Society  of  Germany.     These 


448 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


Boards,  again,  are  under  the  supervision  of  the  bishops, 
and  have  annually  to  report  to  the  Board  of  Bishops.  All 
the  institutions  carry  the  evidence  of  sound  prosperity,  and 
in  this  country,  as  well  as  abroad,  they  have  become  a 
mighty  lever  in  the  hands  of  the  Church  for  the  upbuild- 
ing of  the  kingdom.  Including  Branch  and  Eest  Homes, 
German  Methodism  has  thirty  institutions  and  Branch 
Homes  in  Europe  and  America.  Valne  of  property,  $545,- 
000;  deaconesses,  including  probationers,  four  hundred. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  FEMALE  DIACONATE  IN  THE  PROTESTANT  EPIS- 
COPAL  CHURCH   OF   AMERICA,   AND   IN 
OTHER  CHURCHES  AND  LANDS. 

It  is  not  generally  known  that  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  in  the  United  States,  as  early  as  the  year 
1845,  laid  the  foundation  of  a  Deaconess  Home  and  or- 
ganized the  Sisterhood  of  "The  Holy  Communion"  in  New 
York.  In  this  they  were  two  years  ahead  of  the  Mother 
Church  in  England,  and,  indeed,  it  was  the  first  step 
taken  in  this  direction  in  the  United  States.  Rev.  William 
August  Muehlenberg,  D.  D.,  an  influential  clergyman  of 
this  Church,  came  in  touch  with  the  Deaconess  Cause  in 
Germany,  and  after  his  return  wrote  a  pamphlet  on  "The 
Institution  of  Deaconesses  in  the  Evangelical  Church." 
Among  other  things  he  said:  "Certain  Anglican  Sister- 
hoods appear  to  us  like  apings;  they  are  not  the  products 
of  evangelical  love,  conceived  in  Protestant  sobriety;  they 
have  a  foreign  garment  and  a  foreign  flavor.  The  dea- 
coness is  another  personality."  The  institution  which  Dr. 
Muehlenberg  at  that  time  founded  still  exists. 

The  movement  received  a  mighty  impulse  in  1869, 
when,  at  the  annual  session  of  the  Board  of  Missions,  the 
following  resolution  was  passed : 

^'Resolved,  That  a  committee  be  named  to  report  on 
the  important  organized  work  of  women  in  the  Church." 

A  committee,  consisting  of  Revs.  J.  A.  Harris  and  J.  W. 
Claxton  and  Mr.  William  Welsh,  reported  very  favorably 
at  the  annual  meeting,  1870,  on  the  movement,  and  re- 
quested that  the  Church  recognize  the  work  of  the  Sister- 
29  449 


450        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

hoods  and  appoint  a  Board  for  the  same,  consisting  of 
bishops,  ministers,  and  laymen.  The  request  was  granted, 
and  a  committee  appointed,  consisting  of  Eevs.  A.  N. 
Littlejohn,  D.  D.,  H.  W.  Lee,  D.  D.,  H.  C.  Potter,  D.  D., 
J.  W.  Claxton,  J.  F.  Spaulding,  and  the  laymen  W.  Welsh 
and  George  N.  Titus.  This  was  an  important  step  with 
regard  to  the  promotion  of  woman's  work  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church.  By  means  of  this  report  the  attention 
of  the  Church  was  directed  to  the  activity  of  women;  the 
matter  was  discussed  at  all  important  Church  gatherings, 
and  the  subject  was  treated  in  the  religious  press.  But 
no  decision  was  reached  until  the  next  annual  meeting 
of  the  Board  of  Missions.  Woman's  work  now  received 
the  sanction  of  the  Church;  appeals  were  made  for  the 
propagation  and  support  of  the  Deaconess  Movement,  and 
the  organization  was  placed  under  the  supervision  of  the 
bishops.  Special  sources  of  revenue  were  provided  for  the 
financial  support  of  the  work.  Since  then  the  movement 
has  made  great  progress  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  and  it  controls  to-day  twenty-seven  Sisterhoods 
and  Deaconess  Organizations.  We  will  first  give  a  survey 
of  the  Sisterhoods,  because  they  are  older  and  more  nu- 
merously represented  than  the  Deaconess  Institutions. 

1.    Sisterhoods  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

The  Sisterhood  of  the  Holy  Communion  in  New  York, 
which  takes  its  name  from  the  congregation  with  which 
it  was  first  connected,  was,  as  we  have  seen,  established  in 
1845  by  Dr.  Muehlenberg.  The  organization,  however,  was 
not  completed  until  1852,  and  in  the  spring  of  the  follow- 
ing year  the  Sisters'  House  was  erected  next  to  the  church. 
The  house  was  built  by  Mr.  J.  Swift,  who  emphasized 
thereby  his  belief  in  the  necessity  of  such  institutions, 
though  public  opinion  in  the  Protestant  Church  was  ad- 


The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  451 

verse  to  them.  The  Sisters  busied  themselves  with  the 
care  of  the  sick  and  taught  in  the  parochial  school.  After 
occupying  the  house  which  was  built  for  them,  they  opened 
a  dispensary,  and  this  was  the  beginning  of  the  famous 
St.  Luke's  Hospital  in  New  York.  Up  to  1858  it  took  all 
the  ministering  forces  to  meet  the  growing  demands  of  the 
hospital.  In  this  year  the  hospital  building  was  enlarged, 
and  the  Sisters  undertook  its  exclusive  management.  In 
the  course  of  time  they  engaged  in  different  fields  of  home 
mission  work,  and  to-day  they  are  active  in  the  following 
branches :  Care  of  the  congregation,  care  of  the  sick, 
management  of  Home  for  the  Aged,  service  of  the  altar  in 
the  Church  of  the  'Holy  Communion,  direction  of  a  Girls' 
School  and  an  Orphan  Asylum  for  Infants. 

The  management  of  the  community  of  Sisters  is  in 
the  hands  of  the  pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Com- 
munion, Dr.  H.  Mottet.  Next  in  authority  to  him  is  the 
superioress,  who  is  elected  by  ballot  by  the  Sisters.  Sister 
Eliza  is  at  present  vested  with  this  office.  The  Sisters 
are  classified  into  community  Sisters  and  probationers.  The 
latter  are  obliged  to  take  a  course  in  the  Sisters'  School 
of  not  less  than  six  months.  Then  they  are  received  into 
the  community  of  Sisters  by  ballot.  They  obligate  them- 
selves for  three  years,  but  at  the  end  of  this  time  may  re- 
new the  term.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  the  rules  of 
the  house  are  taken  from  those  of  Fliedner,  and  are  only 
different  in  minor  points.  The  community  at  present  num- 
bers thirty  Sisters.  There  are  other  co-workers  who  are 
called  Associate  Sisters,  and  whose  position  is  similar  to 
that  of  the  Assistant  Sisters  in  Germany. 

The  annual  income  is  $3,000,  to  which  the  Sisters 
themselves,  if  they  have  the  means,  contribute.  The  value 
of  the  property  is  $125,000. 

The  organization  known  as  the  Sisterhood  of  the  Good 


452        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Shepherd,  Baltimore,  Md.,  dates  its  history  back  to  the 
year  1856.  After  varied  experiences,  it  was  first  organized 
in  1865,  and  given  the  name  of  "Sisterhood  of  the  Good 
Shepherd.^^  After  a  candidate  enters  the  community  she 
has  a  preparatory  course  of  six  months,  and,  if  this  is 
satisfactory,  she  is  received  as  a  probationer.  At  the  end 
of  eighteen  months  or  more  she  is  consecrated.  Besides 
these  three  classes,  the  class  of  Assistant  Sisters  has  been 
introduced.  At  the  head  of  the  community  stands  the  Sis- 
ter Superior,  who  is  elected  for  three  years  by  the  Conse- 
crated Sisters.  In  fact,  all  the  affairs  of  the  institution  are 
discussed  by  the  Sisters,  and  the  Consecrated  Sisters  have 
the  right  to  vote.  The  Sisterhood  at  first  made  great 
numerical  progress,  but  it  was  overshadowed  by  several  of 
the  later  communities,  and  at  present  is  not  very  large. 
Its  principal  activity  is  confined  to  hospital  work,  teach- 
ing in  some  schools,  and  the  management  of  several 
orphan  asylums.  But  they  have  often  undertaken  other 
branches  of  work,  and  were  at  all  times  ready  to  do  any- 
thing in  the  service  of  suffering  humanity. 

Upon  a  more  solid  foundation,  and  therefore  with  bet- 
ter results,  was  established  the  Sisterhood  of  St.  Mary. 
It  belongs  to  the  Diocese  of  New  York,  and  began  its  life 
in  1865.  On  February  2,  1865,  the  Feast  of  the  Purifica- 
tion, five  Sisters  were  consecrated  to  their  work  by  the 
bishop  in  St.  Michael's  Church,  New  York.  They  under- 
took the  management  of  the  House  of  Mercy,  and  estab- 
lished a  Home  for  children  under  the  name  of  "Sheltering 
Arms.^'  This  institution  dispenses  great  blessings  even 
to-day;  but  its  management  has  passed  into  other  hands. 
In  1866  the  Sisters  undertook  the  direction  of  the  St. 
Barnabas  House  for  two  years,  and  in  1868  founded  a 
boarding-school  for  girls  in  Forty-sixth  Street,  New  York, 
which  they  called  St.  Mary^s  School.    One  of  the  principal 


The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  453 

institutions  which  they  organized  is  the  St.  Mary's  Hos- 
pital on  West  Fortieth  Street,  which  was  opened  in  1870, 
and  continues  its  blessed  usefulness  to  the  present  day. 

This  community  has  much  in  common  with  the  order 
of  nuns.  Its  members  at  their  consecration  are  obliged 
to  take  the  threefold  vows  of  poverty,  celibacy,  and  obe- 
dience. They  are  classiiied  into  choir  sisters,  choir  novices, 
younger  sisters,  and  younger  novices.  No  one  is  admitted 
who  is  not  a  member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 
If  any  one  wishes  to  enter  the  community  she  makes  a 
confidential  entry  with  the  Sister  Superior.  If  the  latter 
is  satisfied,  she  comes  to  live  for  one  month  in  tlie  house. 
After  satisfactory  probation  she  is  received  as  a  postulant. 
In  this  relation  she  is  kept  from  four  to  six  months,  and 
then  she  is  introduced  as  a  novice.  The  probation  for  a 
choir  novice  is  three  years,  and  for  a  novice  minor,  four 
years.  Each  Sister  is  expected  to  contribute  according  to 
her  means  to  the  maintenance  fund  of  the  work.  The  com- 
munity of  Sisters  has  grown  to  two  hundred  members,  and 
the  association  is  one  of  the  largest  in  the  Episcopal 
Church. 

The  following  fields  of  labor  are  covered  to-day  by  the 
Sisters :  Four  schools ;  a  House  of  Mercy  for  erring  girls ; 
St.  Agnes  House  and  House  of  the  Holy  Kedeemer  in  In- 
wood  on  the  Hudson;  St.  Mary's  Hospital  for  Children, 
New  York;  Vacation  Colony,  Norwalk,  Conn.;  Neyes 
Memorial  Home,  Peekskill,  N.  Y. ;  Home  on  the  Strand, 
Great  Kiver,  Long  Island ;  Trinity  Mission,  Fulton  Street, 
N.  Y. ;  Children's  Home,  Memphis,  Tonn. ;  St.  Mary's  Mis- 
sion and  St.  Mary's  Home  for  Children,  Chicago;  St. 
Mary's  Mission  on  the  Mountain,  Sewanee,  Tenn.  The 
Sisterhood  of  St.  Mary  exercises  a  great  influence  upon  the 
development  of  the  Sister  communities  in  the  Episcopal 
Church. 


454        History  of  the  Deacoxess  Movement. 

One  of  the  most  successful  organizations  in  the  Epis- 
copal Church  is  the  Sisterhood  of  the  Good  Shepherd.  Xew 
York,  which  was  established  in  1869  in  St.  Ann's  Church 
with  three  Sisters.  In  a  short  time  more  than  a  dozen 
Sisters  were  gathered  together  for  works  of  mercy.  Mem- 
bers of  this  organization  entered  at  once  into  full  activity. 
The}'  undertook  the  direction  of  St.  Barnabas  House — a 
refuge  for  deserted  girls  and  women  in  Xew  York,  with 
which  is  connected  a  day-nursery  and  kindergarten.  They 
were,  besides,  active  in  the  care  of  the  poor  and  sick,  visit- 
ing the  patients  at  Bellevue  Hospital  and  the  inmates  of 
the  city's  charitable  institutions  on  Ward's  Island.  Later 
they  undertook  the  management  of  the  "Buttercup"  House 
of  Rest,  at  Philadelphia,  where  poor  girls  may  spend  their 
vacation  without  cost  or  at  a  nominal  compensation.  Un- 
like other  Sisterhoods,  these  Sisters  are  divided  into  five 
classes.  First  come  the  Consecrated  Sisters,  and  next  the 
probationers.  Then  come  the  Assisting  Sisters,  who,  al- 
though they  remain  at  home,  with  their  families,  devote  a 
certain  portion  of  their  time  to  the  work.  The  Sisters  of 
the  fourth  class  carry  the  denomination  of  visitors.  They 
have  the  object  in  view  of  becoming  probationers  at  some 
time.  After  a  visitor  has  served  six  months,  she  may  be 
received  as  a  probationer.  In  the  fifth  class  we  find  the 
helpers.  They  are  such  as  would  like  to  be  Sisters,  but 
who,  for  some  reason  or  another,  can  not  enter  the  insti- 
tution, but  are  seeking  to  support  the  work  according  to 
the  best  of  their  ability.  The  rule,  which  frequently  ob- 
tains, that  the  Sisters  support  the  work  financially,  does 
not  count  with  these,  for  they  are  given  $150  each  per 
year  for  incidental  expenses. 

This  Sisterhood  has  an  eventful  career  behind  it  of 
thirty  years.  But  its  numbers  have  much  decreased  within 
recent  years,  because  many  of  the  Sisters  have  entered 


The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  455 

Deaconess  Homes.    It  is  possible  that  the  organization  will 
disintegrate  altogether. 

As  we  have  presented  in  this  delineation  the  different 
types  of  the  organization,  we  will  now  briefly  touch  upon 
the  history  of  the  other  Sisterhoods,  in  order  to  get  a 
cursory  view  of  the  movement  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church. 

The  Sisterhood  of  St.  John,  Washington,  D.  C,  was 
established  in  1867  by  Eev.  J.  V.  Lewis.  Appointments 
and  organization  are  similar  to  those  of  the  Sisters  of  the 
Good  Shepherd,  Baltimore,  Md.  The  object,  too,  is  the 
same  as  that  covered  by  this  community. 

The  Sisterhood  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  New  York, 
was  established  in  1881  as  an  independent  branch  of  the 
institution  founded  in  Clewer,  England,  1851.  Dr.  Mor- 
timer is  at  the  head  of  the  organization.  The  Mother 
House  is  located  at  233  East  Seventeenth  Street,  New 
York.  The  Sisters  are  active  in  the  following  branches 
of  industry:  In  New  York,  Handiwork  School  for  Girls; 
St.  John's  Boarding-school;  St.  Andrew's  Hospital  for  in- 
firm women;  City  Mission  on  the  East  Side  among  the 
German  population;  School  for  Girls  in  connection  with 
Holy  Cross  Church;  St.  Anne  Summer  Home  for  women 
and  children;  Eescue  Home,  St.  Michael,  Mamaroneck, 
N.  Y.;  Christ  Home  for  Children,  South  Amboy,  N.  J.; 
and  an  Industrial  School,  Morristown,  N.  J. 

The  Sisterhood  of  All  Saints,  Baltimore,  Md.,  was 
established  as  an  order  in  1851,  in  London,  through  the 
agency  of  Rev.  W.  Upton  Richards.  The  order  was  trans- 
planted to  America  in  1891,  and  the  Mother  House  opened 
at  801  North  Eutaw  Street.  In  Baltimore  the  Sisters  have 
engaged  in  the  following  field  of  labor :  Sewing-school ;  All 
Saints'  Home  for  Children ;  Children's  Country  Home,  near 
Baltimore;  St.   Catharine's  Mission  for  the  colored.     In 


456        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Philadelphia:  Congregational  nursing  in  St.  Clement 
Church;  Home  on  the  seaboard,  Point  Pleasant,  N.  J.; 
Mission  House,  Germantown,  Pa. ;  Boarding-school,  Orange 
Valley,  N.  J.;  and  in  Annapolis,  a  Mission  House  for  the 
relief  of  the  poor.  In  closest  affiliation  with  these  Sisters 
are  those  of  St.  Mary  and  All  Saints,  who  have  their  Mother 
House  at  409  West  Biddle  Street,  Baltimore.  They  are 
exclusively  Negresses,  whose  mission  it  is  to  work  among 
the  Negro  population.  They  teach  in  the  colored  schools, 
and  perform  congregational  work  in  connection  with  the 
Mt.  Golgotha  Chapel. 

Eev.  J.  M.  Neale  founded,  in  1852,  at  East  Grinstead, 
England,  the  Sisterhood  of  St.  Margaret.  In  1873  the 
Mother  House  was  transferred  to  17  Louisburg  Square, 
Boston.  The  Sisters  direct  two  hospitals;  a  Girls'  School 
for  Handiwork ;  and  a  Home  for  Orphan  Girls,  in  Brighton, 
Mass.  They  are  engaged  in  congregational  nursing  in  the 
Churches  of  St.  John  and  St.  Augustine,  especially  among 
the  Negroes.  They  also  preside  over  the  following  institu- 
tions :  Children's  Hospital,  Boston ;  St.  Barnabas  Hospital, 
Newark,  N.  J.;  St.  Mark's  Home,  Philadelphia;  St. 
Michael's  Home  for  crippled  Negro  children,  Philadelphia ; 
Home  for  Incurables,  Montreal,  Canada;  and  attend  to 
congregational  services  in  the  churches  of  St.  Mark,  Phila- 
delphia, St.  Philip  and  St.  John,  Newark,  N.  J. 

The  Sisterhood  of  the  Holy  Childhood  of  Jesus  was  es- 
tablished in  1882  by  Eev.  C.  C.  Grafton.  Its  Mother 
House  is  in  Providence,  E.  I.  The  Sisters  are  principally 
active  in  congregational  and  city  mission-work.  Not  in- 
frequently they  accompany  an  evangelist  and  assist  him 
in  his  labors.  At  the  Mother  House  they  make  altar  vest- 
ments, and  the  institution  is  always  open  to  Assisting 
Sisters  and  others  who  need  rest.  Their  work  bears  a 
spiritual  character;  its  purpose  is  to  cultivate  the  inner 


The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  457 

life  and  strengthen  the  faith.  The  bishop  of  the  diocese 
in  which  the  Sisters  are  active  is  their  suj^erior.  They  are 
active  in  different  congregational  services,  and  superintend 
a  House  of  Eest  in  Tiverton,  R.  I.  In  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis., 
they  direct  a  Mission  House,  and  they  carry  on  a  mission 
among  the  Indians  in  the  Oneida  Reservation,  Wisconsin. 

In  contrast  to  the  working  of  this  Sisterhood  is  that 
of  the  Sisters  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist.  The  Mother 
House  is  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  the  Sisters  provide  for 
a  school  for  handiwork,  an  orphan  asylum.  Home  for  the 
Aged,  and  superintend  St.  John's  Hospital.  In  the  sum- 
mer they  generally  direct  several  vacation  colonies. 

A  small  Sisterhood  is  under  the  supervision  of  the 
Bishop  of  Albany,  N.  Y.  It  bears  the  name  of  "Sisters 
of  the  Holy  Child  Jesus.^'  Its  mission  is  the  nursing  and 
training  of  children.  In  the  congregation  worshiping  at 
the  cathedral  and  St.  Peter's  Church,  Albany,  they  con- 
duct the  St.  Agnes  School  and  look  after  the  congregational 
service  in  connection  with  St.  Paul's  Church,  Troy,  N.  Y. 
They  also  conduct  the  Children's  Hospital  and  St.  Mar- 
garet Orphan  Asylum  in  Albany;  the  Summer  Home  and 
Industrial  School  of  the  St.  Christiana  Institution,  Sara- 
toga, N.  Y.,  and  the  Orphan  Asylum  of  the  Holy  Re- 
deemer at  Cooperstown. 

A  Sisterhood  was  founded  January,  1856,  in  Baltimore, 
under  the  name  of  "Sisters  of  the  Good  Shepherd.^'  Its 
principal  location  was  in  Baltimore  up  to  1872,  when  it 
was  transferred  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.  In  the  beginning  the 
Sisters  undertook  the  management  of  St.  Andrew's  Hos- 
pital, and  at  the  same  time  taught  in  a  private  school,  as 
well  as  in  two  parish  schools,  which  were  connected  with 
St.  Luke's  Church,  Baltimore.  Later,  they  established  the 
Orphan  Asylum  of  "The  Good  Shepherd"  in  Louisville, 
Ky.     In  St.  Louis  they  superintended  a  short  time  the 


458         History  of  the  Deacoxkss  Movement. 

Episcopal  Orphan  Asylum,  and  for  twenty-seven  years 
managed  St.  Luke's  Hospital  as  well  as  a  Boarding-school 
for  Girls  of  social  rank.  The  Sisterhood  within  recent 
years  has  diminished  by  deaths  and  withdrawals,  and  at 
present  there  are  left  only  seven  community  Sisters. 

The  Sisters  of  Bethany  are  under  the  supervision  of 
the  Bishop  of  Louisiana,  and  manage  the  Children's  Home, 
609  Jackson  Street,  New  Orleans,  La. 

The  Community  of  All  the  Angels,  a  Sisterhood  es- 
tablished in  1895,  does  city  missionary  work  in  Spring- 
field, HI.  The  Order  of  the  Holy  Resurrection  was  founded 
in  1891.  The  Sisters  have  opened  an  institution  for  women 
who  are  in  need  of  rest  and  spiritual  comfort.  They  also 
manage  Trinity  Home,  a  Eescue  Home,  and  an  Industrial 
School  for  Girls.  All  these  institutions  are  in  St.  Augus- 
tine, Fla.  A  very  young  Sisterhood  is  the  Society  of  the 
Apparition  of  Jesus,  which  was  founded  in  the  year 
1897  in  Washington,  D.  C.  The  object  of  the  Sister- 
hood is  to  live  and  to  work  for  the  honor  of  the  Lord, 
to  educate  and  protect  the  youth,  and  to  assist  such  women 
as  are  in  need  of  help.  The  Sisters  also  practice  other 
works  of  mercy. 

The  Sisterhood  of  the  Annunciation  of  Christ  was 
founded  as  an  order,  and  in  February,  1893,  incorporated 
according  to  the  laws  of  the  State  of  New  York.  The 
Mother  House  is  located  in  West  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
second  Street,  New  York.  Incurable  and  crippled  girls 
from  four  to  fourteen  years  are  received  into  the  institu- 
tion. The  Sisters  also  conduct  a  vacation  colony  and  St. 
Elizabeth  House  in  Riverbank,  Conn. 

The  St.  Monica  Sisterhood  is  an  association  of  widows. 
They  pray  for  the  restoration  of  the  Church  to  its  apos- 
tolical purity  and  strength.  They  also  labor  for  the  ap- 
pointment of  the  widows'  service  as  it  existed  in  the  Apos- 


The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  459 

tolie  Church.  The  supervision  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Bishop 
of  Springfield.  The  Association  of  the  Transfiguration 
was  established  by  Eev.  Paul  Matthews  in  1898^  at  Cin- 
cinnati, 0.  Its  Mother  House  is  at  1711  Freeman  Avenue. 
Here  there  are  working-rooms  for  men  and  women.  The 
Sisters  conduct  a  kindergarten,  several  sewing-schools  at 
St.  Luke's  Church  and  St.  Anne's  Home  for  Aged  Women 
at  Glendale,  0. 

In  1870  a  Sisterhood  ^\as  founded  in  London  under 
the  name  of  Sisters  of  the  Church.  This  association,  a 
few  years  later,  was  transplanted  to  the  United  States. 
Their  number  is  small.  They  conduct  a  school  in  New 
York,  and  sew  clothes  which  they  sell  to  poor  people  for  a 
trifling  sum.  Another  Sisterhood,  which  was  altogether 
fashioned  after  the  Catholic  Sisters,  is  the  Sisterhood  of  St. 
Joseph  of  Nazareth.  Its  object  is  to  deepen  the  religious 
knowledge  of  its  members,  to  cultivate  the  communion  of 
saints,  and  exercise  Christian  works  of  charity.  The  Sis- 
ters are  in  charge  of  the  St.  Martha  School,  in  Bronxville, 
N.  Y.    Here  is  also  their  Mother  House. 

A  middle  position  between  a  Sisterhood  and  a  school 
for  deaconesses  is  occupied  by  the  Bishop  Potter  Memorial 
House,  in  Philadelphia.  The  aim  is  to  combine  the  ad- 
vantages of  both  organizations.  When,  at  the  close  of  the 
fifties,  the  Deaconess  Movement  began  in  the  Episcopal 
Church,  Bishop  Potter  conferred  with  the  clergy  of  his 
Church  in  Philadelphia  (1857-58)  to  devise  ways  and 
means  for  the  better  service  and  care  of  the  poor.  No 
practical  results,  however,  came  from  these  conferences. 
But  at  this  time,  in  one  of  the  suburbs,  a  number  of  people 
gathered  regularly  in  the  Sunday-school  rooms  of  the 
church,  and  held  sewing  socials  as  well  as  meetings  of  dif- 
ferent kinds.  The  bishop,  who  presided,  encouraged  this 
missionary  activity  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  -and  soon  this 


460         History  of- the  Deacoxess  Movement. 

place  became  the  center  of  a  very  successful  and  extended 
city  mission  work.  It  was  now  planned  to  erect  a  house 
for  the  training  of  workers  to  this  vocation,  but  before  a 
beginning  could  be  made,  Bishop  Potter  died.  His  suc- 
cessor carried  out  the  idea,  and  gave  the  institution  the 
name  of  "Bishop  Potter  Memorial  House.^^  Mrs.  Jack- 
son, widow  of  Rev.  W.  Jackson,  Louisville,  Ky.,  was  selected 
as  the  matron.  The  Sisters  do  not  take  vows  nor  wear  a 
special  habit,  but  simply  a  badge.  There  are  three  classes 
in  the  Sisterhood :  Consecrated  Sisters,  probationers,  and 
Helping  Sisters.  The  Consecrated  Sisters  are  principally 
active  in  congregational  and  city  mission  work,  and  are 
generally  under  the  supervision  of  a  clergyman.  Wherever 
several  Sisters  are  active  they  live  together  in  one  house. 
Similarly  organized  is  the  Martha  Sisterhood,  Louis- 
ville, Ky.  Its  aim  is  to  combine  the  advantages  of  Sister- 
hoods and  Deaconess  Institutions.  It  was  founded  in  1875, 
but  to-day  has  only  five  Sisters.  They  are  in  charge 
of  the  Children's  Home  of  the  Good  Shepherd  and  an  in- 
stitution for  little  children  in  Louisville,  Ky.  They  are 
also  active  in  city  mission  work. 

2.  Deaconess  Work  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church. 

Deaconess  Organization  in  the  Diocese  of  Maryland. — 
In  1855  two  young  women  of  St.  Andrew's  congregation, 
Baltimore,  Md.,  declared  themselves  willing  to  give  their 
wdiole  time  and  strength  to  the  service  and  nursing  of  the 
poor,  and  a  room  in  the  parish  house  was  fitted  up  for 
their  use.  The  congregation  next  acquired  a  piece  of  prop- 
erty, and,  under  the  supervision  of  the  bishop,  opened  St. 
Andrew's  Hospital.  The  object  of  the  organization  is  to 
take  care  of  the  sick  and  poor,  and  to  engage  in  the  in- 
struction of  youth.     The  community  is  divided  into  three 


The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  461 

classes:  Associate  Sisters,  probationers,  and  Assisting  Sis- 
ters. It  stands  to  reason  that  the  number  of  Sisters  is  con- 
tinually subject  to  many  fluctuations. 

Several  years  after  the  founding  of  this  organization, 
Eev.  E.  H.  Wilmer,  of  Mobile,  Ala.,  following  the  same 
example,  established  (18G4)  the  Deaconess  Association  of 
the  Diocese  of  Alabama.  There  were  first  three  women, 
who  obligated  themselves,  under  the  direction  of  the  bishop, 
to  perform  works  of  mercy.  They  undertook  the  man- 
agement of  an  Orphan  Asylum  and  a  Shelter  House  for 
Girls.  But  the  Orphan  Asylum  grew  so  rapidly  that  they 
were  obliged  to  abandon  the  Shelter  House.  Their 
branches  of  industry  to-day  are  the  following:  Several 
schools  and  hospitals,  an  Orphan  Asylum,  a  Widows'  Home, 
and  a  Eescue  Mission.  The  organization  is  under  the 
supervision  of  the  bishop.  Eev.  G.  C.  Tucker  is  the  rector, 
and  Sister  Harriet  the  superioress.  The  community  is 
organized  very  similarly  to  the  preceding  one,  and  in  its 
appointments  is  an  exact  copy.  The  number  of  Sisters  is 
seven. 

A  few  years  later  (1872)  the  Deaconess  Organization 
of  the  Diocese  of  Long  Island  was  founded  by  Bishop 
A.  ¥.  Littlejohn.  Their  branches  of  industry  are  con- 
gregational, and  especially  the  care  of  the  sick  in  Brooklyn. 
The  Sisters  gather  and  distribute  alms,  manage  an  Em- 
ployment Information  Bureau,  instruct  children,  and  pre- 
pare candidates  for  baptism  and  children  for  confirmation. 

The  canon,  referring  to  the  deaconess  matter,  which 
was  adopted  by  the  General  Convention  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States,  1889,  prescribes 
that  no  one  shall  be  consecrated  as  deaconess  who  has  not 
received  the  necessary  technical  and  religious  training.  As 
the  Episcopal  Church  has  no  Mother  Houses  according  to 
German  conceptions,  Bishop  H.  C.  Potter  established,  Go- 


462         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

tober,  1890,  in  New  York,  a  "Training-school  for  Dea- 
conesses." The  institution  was  placed  under  the  super- 
vision of  Dr.  W.  E.  Huntington,  rector  of  Grace  Church, 
and  received  the  name  of  "Grace  School  for  Deaconesses." 
The  instruction  of  the  Sisters  is  in  the  hands  of  Dr.  Mc- 
Kim,  assisted  by  a  staff  of  ten  teachers.  Its  success  was 
so  surprisingly  pronounced  that  the  leaders  in  the  enter- 
prise resolved  to  place  it  under  the  direct  supervision  of 
the  bishop  and  incorporate  it  under  the  name  of  "The 
New  York  Training-school  for  Deaconesses."  It  is  not 
a  Deaconess  Institution,  but  a  training-school.  The  course 
of  instruction  embraces  branches  which  are  usually  taught 
in  the  female  seminaries  of  the  Church.  Instruction 
is  also  given  the  pupils  in  the  female  diaconate,  and  for 
three  months  in  the  year  they  receive  directions  in  prac- 
tical mission  work.  The  plan  of  studies  embraces  the  fol- 
lowing branches :  The  Old  Testament,  Life  of  Christ,  Life 
of  the  Apostle  Paul,  Christian  Doctrine,  Church  History, 
Liturgy,  History  of  Missions,  Hygiene,  Science  of  Teach- 
ing, nursing,  and  parish  work.  The  course  embraces  two 
years.  Matriculants  must  have  passed  their  eighteenth 
year,  and  during  their  stay  in  the  institution  pay  an  an- 
nual fee  of  $200.  Those  who  live  in  New  York  may  keep 
their  lodgings  at  home  and  pay  $60  tuition  per  year.  After 
finishing  their  course,  pupils  receive  a  diploma,  and  they 
now  may  join  any  Sisterhood  or  Deaconess  Order  in  the 
Church;  or,  if  they  prefer,  they  may  labor  independently, 
but  under  the  direction  of  the  bishop.  This  training-school 
has  rounded  out  the  education  of  fifty-four  pupils  within 
the  past  ten  years.  The  annual  receipts  and  expenditures 
amount  to  $5,000. 

The  Deaconess  Institute  and  Training-school  in  To- 
ronto is  the  only  institution  of  the  kind  established  by  the 
Episcopal  Church  in  Canada.     The  Deaconess  Cause  in 


The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 


463 


Canada  is,  in  fact,  still  in  its  infancy.  Besides  this  in- 
stitute, there  are  in  the  entire  Dominion  but  two  more 
organizations,  both  of  recent  origin.  These  are  the  Meth- 
odist Deaconess  Home  and  the  Deaconess  Training-school 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church — both  in  Toronto.     The  In- 


Deaconess  Home  and  TBAiNiNG-soHooii,  Toronto 


stitute  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  a  picture  of  which  we 
present,  has  sixteen  consecrated  deaconesses  and  five  pro- 
bationers. It  is  situated  on  Isabella  Street,  and  Miss  F. 
Cross  is  the  superioress.  The  deaconesses  are  active  in 
numerous  fields  of  labor. 

The  Deaconess  Cause  in  Australia. — In  1891  a  Deacon- 


464         History  oe  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

ess  Institute  was  founded  in  Sidney  under  the  supervision 
of  Rev.  M.  Archdall.  Some  years  previously,  resolutions  had 
been  adopted  by  the  Diocesan  Synod  of  Australia  in  favor 
of  Deaconess  Work.  The  Kaiserswerth  Institution  was 
known,  and  served  as  a  pattern  to  the  Synod;  but  the 
rules  and  regulations  were  nevertheless  borrowed,  for  the 
greater  part,  from  the  Mother  Church  in  England.  The 
institution  is  therefore  to  be  called,  rather,  a  training- 
school  than  a  Mother  House,  and  the  most  exacting  stress 
is  laid  upon  the  thorough  training  of  the  Sisters.  Chris- 
tian education  is  the  principal  duty  of  the  deaconesses. 
In  connection  with  the  institution  is  a  Home  for  poor 
women  of  the  better  classes,  a  Children's  Home,  and  a 
Girls'  School.  A  second  institution  was  opened  by  Bishop 
Goe  in  Melbourne.  It  has  a  Board  of  Managers,  with  the 
bishop  at  the  head.  The  time  of  probation  for  the  Sisters 
is  two  years.  They  receive  a  thorough  instruction  and 
undergo  two  examinations.  In  connection  with  the  insti- 
tute a  House  of  Mercy  and  Children's  Home  were  erected, 
and,  in  addition  to  congregational  service,  the  Sisters  are 
busy  in  the  nursing  of  the  poor  and  sick. 

New  Zealand. — Here  Bishop  Julius  established  an  in- 
stitution in  1894,  and  its  first  superioress  received  her 
training  in  the  West  London  Deaconess  Home.  The  work, 
although  still  young,  is  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

Tasmania. — Several  years  ago  the  foundation  for  an 
institution  here  was  laid  by  Bishop  Montgomery.  A  build- 
ing has  not  yet  been  erected,  but  a  number  of  Sisters  are 
engaged  in  the  work. 

India. — The  first  Deaconess  Institute  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  India  was  established  in  1896  by  Bishop 
Matthew  in  Lahore.  The  first  Sisters  came  from  England, 
and  the  intention  is  to  erect  a  great  institution  in  which 
the  mission  workers  for  India  may  be  trained.     As  the 


Various  Other  Churches.  465 

women  of  India  can  only  be  reached  through  women,  it 
is  evident  that  such  an  institution  has  a  particularly  high 
and  important  mission  to  fill  in  this  country.  The  Bishop 
of  Lucknow  is  engaged  with  the  grave  question  whether  con- 
secrated deaconesses  are  not  to  be  allowed  to  administer 
baptism  to  the  female  converts.  The  number  of  Sisters 
is  still  small,  but  it  is  the  first  institution  in  which  native 
Christian  women  were  consecrated  as  deaconesses.  It  is 
believed  that  the  deaconess  question  will  be  an  important 
factor  in  the  Christian  propaganda  of  India. 

South  Africa. — While  the  Episcopal  Church  has  not  as 
yet  established  an  institution  in  Africa,  there  are  several 
deaconesses  employed  in  the  mission,  and  it  is  expected 
that  in  the  near  future  a  Deaconess  Institute  will  be  erected 
for  the  training  of  mission  Sisters  and  nurses. 

After  treating  in  separate  chapters  of  the  German  insti- 
tutions in  the  United  States,  and  the  houses  and  Sister- 
hoods of  the  Episcopal  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Churches,  there  remains  for  us  to  mention  several  institu- 
tions in  various  other  Churches  which  have  been  developed 
so  far  in  a  normal  and,  in  part,  rapid  manner. 

The   American    Congregational    Deaconess    Associa- 
tion. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Illinois  State  Association 
of  Congregational  Churches,  held  at  Oak  Park,  May  21- 
24,  1900,  on  the  suggestion  of  the  Hon.  T.  C.  MacMillan, 
retiring  moderator,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  carefully 
consider  and  report  at  the  next  annual  meeting  on  the 
wisdom  and  best  methods  for  the  efficient  training  and 
housing  of  young  women  for  all  lines  of  work  open  in  city 
and  country  as  aids  to  pastors,  as  nurses,  visitors,  Bible- 
readers,  etc.  This  committee  consisted  of  the  Kevs.  G-.  H. 
Wilson,  DeKalb;  B.  M.  Southgate,  Pana;  G.  H.  Bird, 
30 


466         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

South  Chicago;  A.  H.  Armstrong  and  W.  B.  Thorp, 
Chicago.  At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Illinois  State 
Association  at  Galesburg,  May  20-23,  1901,  this  commit- 
tee, through  Eev.  George  H.  Wilson,  reported,  and  advised 
that  the  Hon.  T.  C.  MacMillan,  Professor  William  D. 
Mackenzie,  of  Chicago,  and  Eev.  William  Anderson,  of 
Dover,  be  added  thereto ;  that  steps  be  taken  to  inaugurate 
a  plan  for  carrying  into  effect  as  rapidly  as  practicable 
the  resolution  of  the  previous  year  relative  to  the  training 
and  use  of  deaconesses. 

This  recommendation  was  heartily  accepted,  and  the 
committee  thus  increased  was  instructed  to  act  for  the 
Association.  At  once  there  was  proffered  the  committee 
a  property  at  Dover,  111.,  for  such  uses  as  could  be  made 
of  it  in  connection  with  this  work.  This  consisted  of  a 
three-story  brick  building  in  the  center  of  two  and  a  half 
acres  of  land,  well  shaded  and  beautiful  for  situation.  To 
accept  this  offer  it  was  necessary  to  incorporate. 

The  American  Congregational  Deaconess  Association 
was  incorporated  under  charter  from  the  State  of  Illinois, 
and  Mr.  John  K.  Allen,  of  Chicago,  was  elected  its  treas- 
urer. The  Deaconess  Association  invited  Miss  M.  Emerett 
Coleman  to  the  superintendency  of  this  work.  The  Chicago 
Theological  Seminary  proffered  co-operation,  and  a  strong 
group  of  able  instructors  constitutes  the  Faculty  of  the 
training-school.  The  Chicago  Commons  furnishes  an  op- 
portunity for  industrial  training.  The  three-story  house 
situated  at  513  Washington  Boulevard  has  been  rented  for 
use  as  the  Deaconess-training  Home. 

Students  for  the  Deaconess  Work  will  be  sent  from  this 
Training  Home  into  fields  for  practical  work  affored  by 
Churches  and  missions  in  the  city. 

The  Dover  Home  is  to  be  fitted  up  for  such  philan- 
thropic uses  as  the  work  may  develop.     To  devise  means 


Various  Other  Churches.  467 

to  raise  money  to  carry  on  this  work  a  conference  of  tlie 
Deaconess  Association  and  President  J.  H.  George,  with 
several  business  men  of  Chicago,  was  held  in  Chicago, 
September  23,  1901.  It  was  decided  that  an  effort  be  made 
at  once  to  raise  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars  to  insure 
the  work  for  one  year.  In  an  appeal  to  the  Church  we 
read  as  follows : 

The  congested  districts  in  the  cities;  the  destitute  por- 
tions of  the  towns;  the  unchurched  masses  in  the  mining 
and  other  labor  centers;  the  scattered  populations  of 
sparsely-settled  portions  of  the  State  and  country;  the  in- 
numerable homes  practically  closed  to  all  but  the  mother 
love  of  some  sister  of  the  Christ,  where  the  already  over- 
burdened wife  of  many  a  pastor  can  not  go  except  to  sacri- 
fice children  and  home;  the  need  of  helpers  made  com- 
petent by  training,  felt  in  Churches,  with  the  common 
problems  of  town  and  country  upon  them, — these  all  ac- 
centuate the  call  to  enter,  in  the  Master^s  name,  this  now 
open  door.  The  women  whose  characters,  conditions,  and 
consecration  qualify  them  for  such  high  service,  and  urge 
them  to  it,  need  a  training  of  heart,  head,  hands,  that  will 
give  the  ability  of  discipline  to  the  ardor  of  discipleship. 
To  afford  the  opportunity  for  that  training,  and  to  provide 
wise  workers  for  this  manifold  service  in  these  varied  fields, 
is  a  call  we  dare  no  longer  disregard.  The  building  at 
Dover,  in  the  midst  of  its  spacious  grounds  and  surrounded 
by  a  prosperous  farming  country  where  Congregationalism 
is  strong,  stands  ready  for  use  as  orphanage,  Kest  Home, 
fresh-air  center,  or  in  any  other  way  in  which  the  expand- 
ing work  may  call  for  a  country  establishment. 

The  chairman  of  the  State  Association's  committee  is 
Kev.  George  H.  Wilson,  of  DeKalb.  The  treasurer  is  Mr. 
John  K.  Allen,  of  Chicago.  Miss  M.  E.  Coleman,  superin- 
tendent. 


468         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


The  Deaconess  Organization  in  the  United  Brethren 
Church. 

The  Deaconess  Movement  in  this  Church  is  still  in 
its  infancy.  Bishop  G.  M.  Mathews  deserves  the  credit  of 
having  called  the  attention  of  the  Church  to  this  depart- 
ment of  Christian  work.  In  an  article  on  ^'The  Order  of 
Deaconesses/'  which  he  wrote  for  the  January  number  of 
the  Quarterly  Reuiew  in  1901,  he  says:  "There  may  be  dif- 
ference of  opinion  in  the  minds  of  many  of  our  best  Chris- 
tian workers  as  to  the  desirability  of  establishing  the  Order 
of  Deaconesses  in  our  Church  by  official  action  at  the  ap- 
proaching General  Conference;  but  surely  there  is  great 
unanimity  of  conviction  among  us  that  the  wide  resources 
and  varied  gifts  of  our  Christian  women  should  be  more 
generally  recognized  and  utilized  in  a  service  which  shall 
increase  the  working  force  of  the  Church.  The  matter  of 
establishing  Deaconess  Homes  and  arranging  for  lectures 
and  practical  training  to  educate  deaconesses  for  their  work, 
as  well  as  providing  for  their  financial  support,  involves 
serious  problems  for  careful  and  judicious  consideration. 
That  some  new  agency  like  this  should  be  introduced  into 
the  practical  working  forces  of  our  Church  seems  evident 
to  all  who  have  studied  the  growing  needs  of  the  Church 
and  the  changed  condition  of  our  social  life.  It  may  not 
be  best  to  establish  the  Order  of  Deaconesses,  or  call  it  by 
that  name.  But  some  similar  movement  will  likely  en- 
gage the  attention  of  the  next  General  Conference  and  find 
crystallization  in  some  wise  enactment  by  which  the  con- 
secrated service  of  the  minds,  hearts,  and  hands  of  the 
daughters  of  the  Church  shall  be  used  to  advance  the  king- 
dom of  God,  and  add  to  the  Church's  equipment  for  the 
humanitarian  work  and  spiritual  achievements  of  this  new 
century.  ^^ 


Various  Other  Churches.  469 

From  all  parts  of  the  country  Bishop  Mathews  received 
favorable  responses,  and  Bishop  J.  S.  Mills  deserves  the 
credit  of  having  put  the  subject  in  practical  form.  He, 
in  conjunction  with  Bishop  Mathews,  brought  the  matter 
to  the  attention  of  the  General  Conference  (May,  1901), 
and,  after  an  interesting  and  enthusiastic  discussion,  the 
following  was  adopted  and  incorporated  in  the  Discipline 
of  the  Church: 

^'Chapter  VIII. — ^Deaconesses. 


"1.  When  any  Sister  of  suitable  age,  health,  ability,  cul- 
ture, and  piety  wishes  to  become  a  deaconess,  she  shall 
receive  a  recommendation  to  the  Quarterly  Conference 
from  the  class  where  she  holds  her  membership.  If,  after 
examination  by  the  presiding  elder,  or  a  committee  ap- 
pointed by  him,  she  is  approved  by  the  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence, she  shall  receive  license  to  perform  the  duties  of  a 
deaconess  in  the  local  Church,  said  license  subject  to  an- 
Qual  renewal. 

"2.  Her  duties  shall  be  to  teach  in  the  Sunday-school, 
the  kindergarten,  the  Young  People's  Christian  Union,  and 
in  the  houses  of  the  people  such  religious  and  otherwise 
useful  knowledge  as  may  be  needed ;  to  visit  from  house  to 
house,  reading,  singing,  teaching,  exhorting,  or  comforting 
the  people,  as  the  case  may  require;  to  nurse,  or  otherwise 
minister  to  the  sick  and  needy ;  to  solicit  funds  or  supplies, 
and  distribute  the  same ;  all  under  the  direction  of  the  pas- 
tor, to  whom  she  shall  report  as  often  as  he  may  desire. 

"3.  A  uniform  costume  shall  be  selected  by  a  committee 
appointed  by  the  bishops,  to  distinguish  and  protect  her. 

"4.  The  Deaconess  Work  is  a  high  and  holy  calling  for 
sacrificial  service.  Each  local  Church  must  provide  for  any 
necessary  expense  attending  this  work,  always,   however, 


470         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

encouraging  those  who  enter  upon  this  service  to  do  so 
for  the  love  of  Christ  and  humanity. 

"5.  No  one  shall  be  required  to  make  a  perpetual  vow 
in  this  work,  but  any  one  may  retire  from  this  office  at 
pleasure,  after  giving  the  pastor  the  proper  notice. 

"6.  The  deaconess  shall  be  a  member  of  the  Quarterly 
Conference  where  she  serves,  and  shall  l^e  responsible  to  it 
for  her  moral  and  official  character. 

"7.  If  the  deaconess  is  deficient  in  any  of  the  common- 
school  studies,  she  must  pass  examination  in  these,  along 
with  the  following  course  of  study.  The  presiding  elder 
and  pastor  shall  conduct  the  examination  in  writing  annu- 
ally, or  on  part  of  the  course  quarterly,  as  the  candidate 
may  desire: 

"Course  of  Study.— First  Year— The  English  Bible. 
Synthetic  Bible  Studies — Gray.  With  Christ  in  the  School 
of  Prayer — Murray.  Life  of  Christ — Stalker.  United 
Brethren  Handbook — Shuey.  United  Brethren  Discipline. 
Deaconesses — Wheeler. 

Books  to  be  Head — Primer  of  Psychology — Ladd.  His- 
tory of  the  United  Brethren  Church — Berger.  Revivals — 
Torrey.     Seven  Laws  of  Teaching — Gregory. 

"Second  Year— The  English  Bible.  Outline  Bible 
Studies — Dunning.  Revised  Normal  Lessons — Hurlbut. 
Christian  Character  —  Kilpatrick.  Theology  —  Weaver. 
Life  of  St.  Paul — Stalker.    Social  Law  of  Service — Ely. 

"Books  to  be  Read. — The  Tongue  of  Fire — Arthur. 
The  Christian's  Secret  of  a  Happy  Life — Smith.  Bible 
Geography — Hurlbut.    Manual  of  Nursing — Weeks. 

"The  deaconess  desirous  to  become  a  nurse  should  take 
the  course  of  training  for  that  purpose  in  a  school  con- 
nected with  a  good  hospital. 

"8.  On  the  completion  of  the  course  of  study,  and  two 
years'  practical  work  under  the  direction  of  a  pastor,  or  an 


Various  Other  Churches.  ^11 

equivalent  course  in  an  approved  training-school,  or  literary 
school  providing  such  courses,  the  deaconess  shall  be  con- 
secrated to  this  service  by  a  bishop  or  presiding  elder,  and 
receive  a  permanent  license. 

''Consecration  of  Deaconess — Singing,  'Must  Jesus  bear 
the  cross  alone?'  Scripture  reading.  (Matt,  xxv.)  Sing- 
ing, 'It  may  not  be  on  the  mountain  height.'  Invocation. 
Address.  Prayer  of  consecration.  Singing,  'Take  my  life, 
and  let  it  be.' 

"section  II. DEACONESS  HOMES. 

"When  a  majority  of  the  pastors  of  our  Church  in  a 
city  or  Conference  wish  to  establish  a  Deaconess  Home,  they 
must  first  submit  their  plans  to  the  Board  of  Bishops,  at 
one  of  its  annual  meetings ;  and  if  the  matter  is  approved 
by  this  Board,  it  shall  prepare  rules  and  regulations  ac- 
cording to  which  a  Deaconess  Home  shall  be  founded  and 
managed." 

The  General  Conference  appointed  a  committee  to  desig- 
nate a  costume,  and  in  July,  1901,  the  committee  reported 
that  the  costume  should  be  simple  and  serviceable,  allow- 
ing place  for  individual  taste,  conforming  to  ordinary  styles 
of  dress,  yet  sufficiently  uniform  to  constitute  a  costume 
and  give  necessary  protection  to  the  wearer  when  engaged 
in  mission  and  evangelistic  work.  The  distinctive  features 
are  the  color,  gray,  and  the  bonnet  with  white  ties.  It  was 
thought  best  not  to  adopt  a  particular  style  of  dress ;  only 
recommend  that  plainness  be  observed.  The  gray  is  to  be 
a  medium  shade,  that  produced  by  the  mixture  of  half 
black  and  half  drab.  The  nurse's  costume  is  gray-and- 
.  white  striped  gingham,  with  white   apron,  tie,   and  cap. 

The  first  deaconesses  in  the  United  Brethren  Church 
were  employed  in  Colorado  Springs  and  in  Denver,  Col. 
Quite  a  number  of  young  women  began  at  once,  after  the 


472         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

action  of  General  Conference,  to  pursue  the  course  of  study 
prescribed  in  the  Discipline.  The  next  step  will  be  to 
organize  Homes  and  hospitals  in  different  parts  of  the 
country. 

Deaconess    Home   and   Hospitals    of   the    Reformed 

Church   (English-speaking)   of  the  United 

States. 

The  first  English  Deaconess  Institute  of  this  denomina- 
tion in  the  United  States  was  established  by  a  few  of  its 
members  at  Alliance,  0.  A  constitution  was  adopted,  en- 
tirely in  accordance  with  the  piiles  of  the  Mother  Houses 
in  Germany,  and  an  incor^Doration  was  secured  in  accord- 
ance with  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Ohio.  In  the  middle 
of  the  ^90's  a  suitable  house  was  purchased  for  $10,000, 
which  was  appointed  as  a  Deaconess  Institute  and  Hos- 
pital. The  institute  was  opened  for  hospital  purposes  in 
January,  1899.  Besides  this  institution,  the  Reformed 
Church  has  a  flourishing  German  Deaconess  Home  in 
Cleveland,  0.,  of  which  we  have  already  given  report. 

Deaconess  Work  in  the  Baptist  Church. 

The  first  attempt  in  this  Church  to  found  an  institu- 
tion was  made  in  1894,  in  New, -York.  The  Second  Ger- 
man Baptist  Church  and  the  Amity  Church  (English- 
speaking)  established  in  the  month  of  June  of  that  year 
"The  Baptist  Deaconess  Society  of  the  City  of  New  York.'* 
The  Home  was  opened  in  November,  1895,  in  the  Amity 
Building,  312  West  Fifty-fourth  Street,  with  four  dea- 
conesses. Since  then  the  institution  has  been  enlarged, 
and  at  present  has  sufficient  accommodation.  Besides  the 
superintendent  and  a  teacher,  there  are  seven  consecrated 
deaconesses  and  five  probationers  in  the  Home.  The  first 
deaconess  was  ordained,  after  a  full  course  of  study,  in 


Various  Other  Churches. 


473 


November,  1897.  The  society  follows  up  the  ordinary 
branches  of  work:  nursing  of  the  sick,  parish  work,  and 
one  of  the  deaconesses  is  in  the  employ  of  the  Eescue  So- 
ciety.   A  Church  receiving  their  services  pays  $300  a  year. 


Baptist  Dbaooness  Home,  New  York  City. 


The  training  of  the  deaconesses  takes  in  a  period  of  two 
years,  but  as  there  is  no  hospital  connected  with  the  institu- 
tion, the  nurses  receive  their  practical  equipment  at  one  of 
the  city  hospitals.  Their  costume  is  like  that  of  the  dea- 
conesses of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  with  this  dif- 


474        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

ference,  that  the  color  used  is  dark-blue  instead  of  black, 
and  they  wear  their  white  ties  on  their  collars  instead  of 
on  their  bonnets.  Like  their  comrades  in  Europe,  the  dea- 
conesses are  called  Sister  Johanna,  or  Sister  Elizabeth,  as 
the  name  may  be.  The  Board  of  Managers,  consisting  ex- 
clusively of  women,  is  assisted  by  a  Consulting  Committee 
of  men.  Pastors  of  both  congregations  who  founded  the 
institution  and  have  since  cared  for  its  support,  are  the 
spiritual  directors  of  the  community,  and  the  jDrobationers 
are  trained  under  their  special  supervision.  In  the  same 
building  with  the  Home  is  the  Amity  Theological  School, 
an  undenominational  school  for  Christian  workers,  men 
and  women.  The  deaconess  students  take  their  Bible  study 
in  this  school,  receiving,  in  the  Home,  lessons  on  the  his- 
tory and  methods  of  Deaconess  Work.  From  all  appear- 
ances, the  Baptist  denomination  is  recognizing  the  impor- 
tance of  the  female  diaconate  more  and  more  each  year, 
and  if  this  aggressive  body  ever  takes  the  proper  view  of 
the  matter,  there  will  soon  be  flourishing,  numerous,  and 
prosperous  institutions  in  all  parts  of  the  country. 

The  Methodist  Deaconess  Home  in  Toronto^  Canada. 

Methodism  in  Toronto  has  recognized  the  value  of  the 
Deaconess  Work,  and  the  founding  of  a  Home  has  often 
been  the  subject  of  discussion.  After  the  matter  had  been 
carefully  considered  by  a  Conference  Committee,  it  was  re- 
solved to  found  a  Home,  and  on  May  28,  1894,  the  institu- 
tion was  opened  by  the  head  deaconess.  Miss  Alice  Thomp- 
son. A  deaconess  from  Chicago  and  a  Sister  on  probation 
constituted  the  first  family.  However,  at  the  close  of  the 
year  the  number  had  increased  to  six.  Instruction  was 
given  by  clergymen,  university  jDrofessors,  and  resident 
physicians.  The  first  Home  was  organized  in  rented  quar- 
ters. When,  at  the  end  of  three  years,  more  room  was 
needed,  a  wealthy  family  donated  a  lot  in  a  beautiful  j^art 


Various  Other  Churches.  475 

of  the  city,  on  which  a  building,  answering  the  purpose, 
was  erected.  In  August,  1896,  Miss  Thompson  retired,  and 
Miss  E.  Jane  Scott  took  her  place.  She  had  been  trained 
for  her  calling  at  the  Chicago  Training-school,  and  had 
been  emplo^^ed  for  seven  years  in  that  city  in  Deaconess 
Work.  Under  her  effective  management  the  work  grew 
rapidly  and  the  number  of  deaconesses  increased.  The 
training-school  which  has  been  added  is  also  progressing 
rapidly.     Seventy  pupils  have  been  instructed  in  the  train- 


Deaooness  Ho3ie  in  Toronto,  Canada, 

ing-school,  most  of  whom  have  entered  the  Home.  One  of 
them  is  employed  in  the  foreign  mission-field;  others  are 
teaching,  nursing,  and  performing  general  Deaconess  Work. 
A  year  ago  a  house  in  White  Bay,  on  Lake  Ontario,  was 
donated.  More  than  one  hundred  children  of  poor  parents 
were  given  an  outing  here  for  two  weeks.  The  intention 
is  to  enlarge  this  department  of  the  work.  Two  of  the  dea- 
conesses are  residing  in  the  Fred  Victor  Mission,  in  a  dis- 
reputable part  of  the  city.  Two  other  deaconesses  are  con- 
ducting a  midnio-ht  mission.    That  there  is  an  urgent  need 


476 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


for  this  class  of  laborers,  especially  in  the  large  cities, 
everybody  knows.  But  in  the  capacity  of  a  parish  deacon- 
ess she  will  be  more  like  the  deaconess  of  the  early  Church 
than  in  any  other. 

Miss  E.  Jane  Scott,  the  head  deaconess,  was  born  and 
brought  up  in  Baltimore.  In  1890  she  entered  the  train- 
ing-school in  Chicago,  and  two  years  later,  during  the 
session  of  the  Rock  River  Conference,  she  was  ordained. 
Then  she  was  employed  for  several  years  in  the  slums  of 

the  metropolis,  and,  as 
a  result  of  her  work,  a 
church  was  built,  and 
the  membership  in- 
creased,  largely 
through  her  instru- 
mentality. Then  came 
the  call  which  brought 
her  to  Toronto  and 
placed  her  in  charge 
of  the  work  there.  Her 
faithfulness,  her  un- 
tiring activity,  busi- 
ness ability,  and  great 
enthusiasm  for  the 
work,  have  placed  the 
Deaconess  Movement 
on  a  firm  foundation  in  Canada.  Her  thorough  consecra- 
tion, unselfishness,  and  sound  common  sense  make  her  fitted 
pre-eminently  to  stand  at  the  head  of  a  body  of  young 
women.  Her  wisdom  in  directing  their  energies  and  lov- 
ing thoughtfulness  for  their  personal  welfare,  and,  above 
all,  her  pure.  Christian  example,  make  her  beloved  and 
revered  by  all. 


Miss  E.  Jane  Scott. 


Various  Other  Churches.  477 

The  Deaconess  Cause  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church^  South. 

The  Fourteenth  General  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Churchy  South,  at  its  session  in  May,  1902,  in 
Dallas,  Tex.,  established  the  office  of  deaconess  in  that  de- 
nomination. The  law,  as  adopted  and  incorporated  in  the 
Discipline,  provides  that  the  Woman's  Home  Mission  Board 
shall  prescribe  a  course  of  training  for  candidates  for  Dea- 
coness Work,  and  shall  pass  upon  the  applications  of  those 
persons  recommended  by  Quarterly  Conference  for  appoint- 
ment to  a  training-school,  and  shall  have  power  to  reject 
a  candidate  at  any  time  during  or  at  the  end  of  a  course 
of  training,  if  she  be  found  unsuited  to  the  work.  The 
Board,  or  the  Executive  Committee  thereof,  shall,  upon 
application,  recommend  deaconesses  to  Mission  Boards, 
preachers  in  charge,  societies,  or  other  Church  agencies 
wishing  to  employ  them.  When  a  deaconess  is  thus  em- 
ployed, she  shall  make  reports  to  the  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence of  the  charge  in  which  she  labors,  and  be,  so  far  as 
is  practicable,  under  the  direction  of  the  preacher  in 
charge.  When  removing  from  the  bounds  of  one  pastoral 
charge  to  another,  she  shall  carry  a  certificate  of  official 
standing.  She  shall  also  make  annual  reports  to  the 
Woman's  Board  of  Home  Missions.  Her  certificate  must 
be  renewed  annually.  A  candidate  for  Deaconess  Work 
must  be  at  least  twenty-three  years  of  age,  a  single  woman 
or  a  widow.  She  must  be  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  South,  in  good  standing,  and  must  have 
shown  a  fitness  for  this  work  by  active  service  in  some  line 
of  Christian  work.  She  must  have  a  good  common  school 
education,  and  a  certificate  of  good  health  from  a  reputable 
physician.  Her  application  for  admission  to  the  training- 
school  must  be  indorsed  by  the  Quarterly  Conference  and 


478         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

the  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Church  of  which  she  is  a 
member.  She  must  pass  a  satisfactory  examination  before 
the  proper  committee  of  the  Woman's  Board  of  Home  Mis- 
sions, both  as  to  her  educational  and  religious  qualifica- 
tions, before  she  can  be  placed  in  the  training-school.  She 
must  give  two  years  of  probationary  service  and  study  the 
course  prescribed  by  the  Board,  after  which  she  must  have 
the  recommendation  of  the  superintendent  of  the  school. 
In  exceptional  cases,  when  other  requirements  are  met  and 
the  course  in  the  training-school  is  not  deemed  necessary, 
she  may  be  nominated  by  the  preacher  in  charge,  and 
elected  to  the  office  of  deaconess  by  the  Quarterly  Con- 
ference, without  attending  the  training-school.  The  duties 
of  the  deaconess  are  to  minister  to  the  poor,  care  for  the 
sick,  provide  for  the  orphan,  comfort  the  sorrowing,  seek 
the  wandering  and  sinful,  and  do  any  religious  or  teaching 
work  to  which  she  may  be  assigned  by  the  preacher  in 
charge  employing  her  in  the  home  or  foreign  field,  and, 
relinquishing  all  other  pursuits,  devote  herself  to  these  or 
other  forms  of  Christian  work  to  which  she  may  be  found 
adapted.  No  vows  shall  be  required  of  any  deaconess; 
nevertheless,  it  is  expected  that  those  wlio  seek  admission 
to  the  training-school,  or  who  apply  for  a  certificate  from 
the  Quarterly  Conference,  will  have  considered  carefully 
the  steps  they  are  taking,  and,  feeling  themselves  called 
of  God  to  do  this  work,  will  enter  upon  it  with  the  pur- 
pose of  devoting  themselves  wholly  to  it.  A  deaconess  shall, 
however,  be  at  liberty  to  retire  from  the  work  after  three 
months'  notice  to  the  Woman's  Home  Mission  Board,  and 
will  be  subject  to  a  revoking  of  her  certificate  and  dismissal 
if  found  unsuited  to  the  work.  While  engaged  in  active 
service,  she  shall  be  entitled  to  such  support  as  the  Woman's 
Home  Mission  Board  shall  stipulate,  and  if,  after  a  long 
term  of  service^,  she  shall  be  disqualified  by  sickness  or  old 


Various  Other  Churches.  479 

age,  she  shall  be  cared  for  in  a  Deaconess  Home  hereinafter 
provided  for.  A  deaconess,  not  employed  by  any  of  the 
above  Church  agencies,  shall  be  under  the  direct  control  of 
the  Woman's  Home  Mission  Board.  A  report  of  the  work 
of  each  deaconess,  with  a  certificate  of  character  and  stand- 
ing, shall  be  sent  annually  to  the  Woman's  Home  Mission 
Board  by  the  agency  employing  her,  together  with  her  per- 
sonal report.  The  Woman's  Home  Mission  Board  is  author- 
ized to  provide  a  Home  where  unemployed  deaconesses  may 
temporarily  reside  and  be  instructed,  and  where  the  aged 
or  sick  may  be  permanently  cared  for,  and  such  other  in- 
stitutions as  will  not  be  in  conflict  with  other  provisions 
of  section  4,  chapter  xi,  of  Discipline  of  1898. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

MISSION   AND   AIM   OF   THE   FEMALE   DIACONATE   IN 
THE  UNITED  STATES. 

We  have  passed  the  threshold  of  the  twentieth  century, 
and  behind  us  lies  the  most  magnificent  period  witnessed 
in  the  world's  history.  In  epoch-making  it  was  only  sur- 
passed by  the  first  and  sixteenth  centuries  of  Christian 
chronology.  In  the  domain  of  science  and  art  the  progress 
in  the  nineteenth  century  has  been  so  vast  that  all  the 
relations  of  life  and  commerce  have  been  cast  anew.  We 
are  living  in  a  new,  almost  another  world.  Of  the  twenty 
great  inventions,  thirteen  belong  to  the  past  century.  They 
paved  the  way  for  a  thousand  smaller,  but  far-reaching  dis- 
coveries and  inventions.  Through  these  the  heavy  burdens 
of  humanity  were  lightened;  pain  and  grief  alleviated; 
misery  lessened ;  famines  checked  in  civilized  lands ;  at- 
tention paid  to  growing  wants;  and  daily  comforts,  as  well 
as  security  of  life,  increased. 

Greater  than  in  the  Old  World,  at  least  more  visible, 
is  the  progress  in  the  New.  Within  the  past  century,  in 
this  country,  more  than  four  hundred  cities  were  built, 
and  amono:  these  are  several  countino^  a  million  or  more  of 
inhabitants.  We  are  therefore  facing  the  city  problem. 
The  huge  forests  and  prairies  have  been  opened  for  cultiva- 
tion, and  the  almost  boundless  territories  given  over  to 
civilization.  And  this  progress,  too,  has  brought  to  the 
hearts  of  our  people  great  questions,  which  must  be  an- 
swered. During  the  past  century  not  less  than  twenty- 
nine  States  were  organized  and  added  to  the  Union. 
Twenty-four  of  these  commonwealths  are,  each  of  them, 

480 


Mission  of  the  Female  Diacoxate.  481 

greater  in  area  than  England,  and  for  many  of  these 
States,  most  of  which  are  more  populated  and  mightier 
than  many  of  the  kingdoms  of  the  Old  World,  laws,  as 
well  as  a  comprehensive  literature  and  an  influential  press, 
were  created;  public  schools,  universities,  libraries,  and 
art-galleries  were  erected;  a  vast  chain  of  railroads  and 
telegraphs  spread  over  the  land;  country  roads  and  city 
parks  laid  out ;  commerce  and  industry  cultivated ;  benevo- 
lent institutions  of  all  kinds,  and  in  great  numbers, 
erected;  national  and  social  problems  solved;  and  a  Gov- 
ernment organized  that  has  been  approved  and  gained  full 
recognition  in  the  regard  of  civilized  nations. 

Progress  in  the  ecclesiastical  domain  has  been,  if  pos- 
sible, even  greater.  The  young  Church,  free  from  all 
fetters  of  State,  has  gone  to  the  front  everywhere  as  the 
advance  guard;  she  carried  the  power  of  culture  to  this 
Western  country,  and  had  the  greatest  share  in  the  progress 
of  civilization  and  the  solution  of  numerous  problems.  Our 
great,  wide  land  was,  as  it  were,  soAvn  over  with  churches, 
chapels,  church  schools,  and  institutions;  the  pioneer 
preacher  followed  close  on  the  heels  of  the  settler ;  on  the 
wide  prairies  mud  houses  were  erected  for  divine  services, 
and  block  churches  in  the  cleared  primeval  forests. 
From  these  small  beginnings  great  congregations,  with  mag- 
nificent churches,  have  gone  forth,  and  the  living  Church 
was  diligent  in  good  works.  She  organized  Mission,  Sun- 
day-school, Tract,  Church  Extension,  Temj^erance,  and 
Sabbath  Societies,  and  the  Church  organizations  accom- 
plished such  extraordinary  and  wonderful  things  that  we 
can  hardly  think  of  them  without  being  filled  with  as- 
tonishment and  wonder.  Numerous  interdenominational 
and  national  organizations  have  sprung  into  existence,  in- 
fluencing the  entire  public  life  mightily  and  emphatically 
unto  good.  There  are  twenty-seven  million  communicants 
31 


482        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

in  the  Churches  of  our  land.  The  value  of  the  Church 
property  amounts  to  hundreds  of  millions  of  dollars,  and 
the  sum  which  is  annually  expended  for  the  Christian 
propaganda  runs  also  into  the  hundreds  of  millions. 

The  past  century  has  been  justly  called  the  mission 
century,  for  in  the  domain  of  pagan  missions  more  has  been 
accomplished  than  in  the  preceding  eighteen  centuries  to- 
gether. The  awful  chasm  that  totally  separated  eight  hun- 
dred millions  of  heathens  from  the  civilized  influences  of 
the  gospel  at  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century  has 
been  fully  bridged  over  at  the  present  day,  and  an  intel- 
lectual reformation  like  unto  a  hurricane  is  sweeping 
through  heathen  lands  and  tearing  down  ancient  opinions 
and  pagan  customs  as  though  they  were  paper  houses.  The 
Bible  has  been  translated  into  nearly  four  hundred  dif- 
ferent languages  and  dialects,  and  the  gospel  made  ac- 
cessible to  millions  of  heathens.  The  mighty  lever  which 
can  lift  heathendom  out  of  its  deep  humiliation  has  been 
applied,  and  in  the  twentieth  century  unexampled  results 
will  be  accomplished.  The  nineteenth  century  was,  as  it 
were,  the  John  the  Baptist  of  the  twentieth. 

The  twentieth  century  places  new  responsibilities  upon 
our  shoulders,  and  imposes  upon  the  Church  greater  duties 
than  the  nineteenth.  We  have  greater  opportunities  to- 
day, and  also,  by  far,  greater  resources.  The  nineteenth 
century  pointed  out  the  way  in  which  we  have  to  solve 
the  problem  in  the  twentieth;  but  the  profound  questions 
will  not  be  solved  unless  it  is  by  the  Church.  We  call  at- 
tention to  the  race  question,  the  labor  question,  the  tem- 
perance question,  the  Sabbath-day  question,  the  mission 
question,  and  numerous  other  questions  which  are  con- 
nected with  the  chief  problems.  The  Church  is  impelled 
with  the  mighty  feeling  that  Christianity  is  on  the  thresh- 
old of  a  new  epoch,  and  that  in  the  twentieth  century  she 


Mission  of  the  Female  Diaconate.  483 

has  the  mission  to  Christianize  the  people  and  nations  of 
the  earth,  the  races  and  tribes  of  the  globe.  A  recent 
writer,  who  knows  exactly  the  pulse-beat  of  the  present, 
expresses  himself  on  the  subject  as  follows : 

"A  w^orld's  intercourse  spanning  the  whole  earth  is 
mediating  a  world's  commerce  agitating  all  nations ;  a  uni- 
versal world's  culture  is  opening  up;  a  world's  literature 
is  already  present,  and  even  the  arts  and  sciences  are  be- 
coming international.  As  if  by  an  invisible  hand,  the 
Churches  have  been  drawn  into  this  universal  current  of 
humanity.  The  scientific  discoveries,  the  avaricious  mer- 
chants, the  cruel  conquerors,  are  everywhere  followed  by 
the  missionaries,  if  not  preceded  by  them,  unto  the  ends 
of  the  earth,  practiced  in  self-abnegation,  strong  in  faith, 
the  right  educators  of  the  people,  implanting  divine  spirit 
and  divine  life.  The  time  seems  to  be  on  hand  when  there 
shall  be  one  flock  and  one  shepherd  in  all  mankind  and 
all  peoples,  and  nations  and  races  shall  be  gathered  about 
the  throne  of  God.^' 

Never  before  was  the  Church  called  upon  to  face  such 
giant  problems  as  those  of  the  present  day.  This  is  uni- 
versally acknowledged,  and  it  is  the  subject  matter  of  dis- 
cussion at  the  pastoral  Conferences,  Assemblies,  Conven- 
tions, and  Church  gatherings  of  all  kinds.  The  pulpit  and 
ecclesiastical  press  have  united,  and  are  constantly  plan- 
ning new  ways  and  means.  It  is  clear  to  everybody  that 
new  forces  and  agencies  must  be  brought  into  the  field. 
Is  it  to  be  wondered  at  that  we  have  finally  rubbed  the 
sleep  out  of  our  eyes  and  entertained  the  thought  of  plac- 
ing the  hitherto  fallow-lying  strength  of  woman  in  the 
service  of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the  most  comprehensive 
and  liberal  manner?  Thence  we  may  explain  the  phe- 
nomenal growth  of  the  Deaconess  Cause  in  the  United 
States.     Not  more  than  fifteen  years  ago  the  institution 


484        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

of  deaconesses  was  hardly  known.  Occasional  beginnings 
failed,  and  the  voices  that  had  been  raised  died  away  al- 
most unheard.  And  now,  in  a  dozen  of  years,  at  least  one 
hundred  and  forty  Deaconess  Homes  have  been  estab- 
lished, and  among  these  are  a  number  of  Mother  Houses, 
which,  in  regard  to  capacity  of  work  and  extent,  put  into 
the  shade  many  institutions  of  the  Old  World.  The  value 
of  the  property  amounts  to  at  least  five  millions  of  dol- 
lars, and  the  number  of  deaconesses  has  grown  to  nearly 
two  thousand.  In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  alone, 
within  this  period  of  time,  from  ninety  to  one  hundred 
Deaconess  Institutions,  and  twenty  hospitals  in  connec- 
tion with  the  same,  were  established.  The  number  of 
Methodist  deaconesses  has  grown  to  be  over  twelve  hun- 
dred, and  the  average  increase  for  the  past  twelve  years 
has  been  annually  twenty-six  per  cent.  The  woman's 
movement,  which,  in  the  past  decade,  has  seized  upo'n  the 
public  mind  more  than  in  the  preceding  entire  century, 
finds  an  outlet  in  the  Deaconess  Movement,  and  it  is  pos- 
sible that  the  female  diaconate  will  contribute  more  to  the 
solution  of  the  woman  question  than  any  other  factor.  The 
soil  for  the  female  diaconate  is  as  thoroughly  prepared  in 
the  United  States  to-day  as  it  was  sixty  years  ago  in  Ger- 
many. The  young  work  shows  an  extraordinary  power  of 
life  and  attraction,  and  even  if  here  and  there  the  experi- 
mental stage  has  not  been  passed,  it  is  evident  that  it  is 
assuming  a  more  definite  and  certain  shape  from  year  to 
year.  Numerous  difficulties  have  been  removed,  and  the 
leaders  have  a  much  more  fixed  purpose  in  view.  Even  the 
Baptists  and  Congregationalists  have  taken  up  the  thread, 
and  the  great  group  of  Presbyterians  in  their  annual  As- 
semblies have  taken  hold  of  this  momentous  question,  and 
there  are  mustard-seed  beginnings  here  and  there  which 
promise  much  good  for  the  future,    Farthest  in  this  mat- 


Mission  of  the  Female  Diaconate.  485 

ter  has  progressed  the  German  Church  of  our  country.  The 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  the  Episcopal  Church 
have  also  accomplished  wonderful  things.  We  have  cir- 
cumstantially described  their  activity  in  several  chapters. 
This  astounding  progress  can  but  fill  every  Christian  heart 
with  inward  joy,  and  justifies  the  hope  that  the  Evangelical 
Church  of  North  America,  in  spite  of  its  religious  differ- 
ences, will,  in  the  not  far  distant  future,  be  a  ranking  sis- 
ter of  the  evangelical  Church  of  Germany  in  the  domain  of 
Christian  ministrations  of  love.  And  the  female  diaconate, 
if  anywhere,  should  be  in  this  country  an  indescribable 
source  of  blessing. 

Eemarkaljle  and  astounding  is  the  rapid  development  of 
the  Deaconess  Movement  in  the  United  States.  Its  progress 
is  certainly  without  example.  There  has  been  no  lack  of 
financial  assistance,  and  funds  will  flow  in  even  more  gen- 
erously, if  possible,  in  the  future.  In  another  decade  there 
will  hardly  be  one  of  the  larger  cities  in  the  United 
States  which  will  not  be  able  to  show  at  least  one  of 
the  Deaconess  Institutions.  Whenever  the  American  has 
seized  upon  an  idea,  he  brings  it  to  execution,  and  that 
generally  on  the  grandest  scale.  There  is  no  lack  of 
means,  and  the  necessity  is  less  in  doubt.  Not  less 
than  thirty-three  per  cent  of  the  population  of  the 
United  States  live  in  cities  with  twenty-five  thousand 
population  and  more,  and  year  after  year  the  influx  to  the 
cities  is  greater.  And  in  this  there  is  a  great  danger  for 
our  Nation.  It  is  a  fact  that  the  unchristian  and  igno- 
rant masses  in  the  great  cities  are  threatening  civilization. 
It  would  be  idle  to  seek  to  deceive  ourselves  in  regard  to 
the  sad  conditions.  Everywhere  may  be  found  the  revo- 
lutionary tinder  which  threatens  to  be  dangerous  for  the 
future.  The  Church  of  the  present  has  a  tremendous  mis- 
sion; she  is  the  light,  and  when  the  light  ceases  to  give 


486        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

light,  how  great  will  the  darkness  be!  Thousands  to-day 
hear  the  sound  of  church-bells;  but  they  are  indeed 
far  separated  from  the  Church,  and  there  is  as  broad 
and  deep  a  chasm  between  them  and  the  church  pews  as 
though  they  lived  in  Central  Africa.  On  the  one  hand  we 
find  to-day  in  the  United  States  a  prosperous  and  inde- 
pendent Church,  made  up  of  those  who  are  in  comparatively 
good  circumstances,  and  of  whom  many  have  become 
affluent  and  wealthy.  On  the  other  hand  we  find  the  em- 
bittered and  impoverished  masses,  who  look  with  envious 
eyes  upon  the  prosperity  of  the  Church  members,  and  this 
class  are  not  only  indifferent  to  the  Church  and  religion, 
but  the  by  far  greatest  portion  hate  the  Church ;  and  the 
cause  of  it  is  easily  recognized.  People  who  are  thrifty 
and  diligent,  and  upon  whom  rests  the  blessing  of  God, 
make  progress  in  this  world.  It  is,  therefore,  in  the  nature 
of  things  that  Christians  work  themselves  up  to  better 
circumstances,  and  reach  prosperity  according  to  the  words 
of  Scripture,  '^^Godliness  is  profitable  unto  all  things,  hav- 
ing the  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is  and  of  that  which  is 
to  come.^^  The  impoverished  and  degraded  masses  in  the 
laboring  quarters  look  with  envious  eyes  upon  the  pros- 
perity of  Church  members,  and  accuse  them  as  being  con- 
federates of  the  capitalists.  They  note  the  well-being  of 
Christians,  without  knowing  the  cause  or  wishing  to  know 
it.  They  are  filled  with  prejudices,  which  generally  change 
to  bitter  hate.  Each  property-owner  is  in  their  eyes  an 
oppressor;  they  hate  the  power  of  riches,  and  they  forget 
the  benefits  which  they  have  received,  and  they  recognize 
the  blessings  of  the  Church  as  little  as  they  do  the  use- 
fulness of  the  Government.  They  hate  both,  because,  in 
their  opinion,  they  protect  capital.  But  they  hate  the 
Church  the  most  because  slie  protects  the  right  of  prop- 
erty, and  because  her  members  stand  socially  higher  and 


Mission  of  the  Female  Diacoxate.  487 

take  a  more  influential  position  in  society.  True,  it  is  to 
be  regretted  that  to-day  there  are  so  many  half-hearted 
Christians,  who  live  indifferently  and  care  not  in  the  least 
for  the  poor  and  forsaken.  Almost  universally  the  large, 
wealthy  Churches  are  removed  to  the  suburbs,  and  the 
population  of  the  poor  in  the  older  city  quarters  are  left 
to  themselves. 

Dr.  George  W.  Gray,  superintendent  of  Methodist  City 
Missions  in  Chicago,  has  shown  that  in  one  district  of 
Chicago,  with  a  population  of  twenty-two  thousand,  there 
are  but  two  Protestant  Churches  and  one  Catholic  Church ; 
but  in  the  same  district  there  are  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
two  saloons,  eighty-five  wine-houses,  seven  opium  and  eight 
gambling  dens,  and  not  less  than  ninety-two  houses  of  ill- 
fame.  If  the  Church  is  indifferent  to  such  conditions,  she 
will  sow  the  wind  and  reap  the  whirlwind.  True,  it  can 
not  be  said  that  the  Church  has  altogether  neglected  her 
duties.  She  appoints  city  missionaries,  opens  mission 
halls,  and  has  inaugurated  an  extended  missionary  ac- 
tivity of  the  most  varied  character;  but  the  Church  mem- 
bers themselves  are  passive;  in  fact,  they  studiously  get 
out  of  the  way  of  this  class  of  people.  They  do  not  wish 
to  give  up  anything  of  their  social  position;  they  move 
in  other  circles,  dress  better,  cultivate  science  and  art,  and 
unfortunately  the  large  churches  of  the  present  day  are 
so  arranged  and  appointed  that  this  poorest  and  most 
abandoned  class  would  not  feel  at  home  in  them,  even 
if  they  were  visitors.  City  missionaries  are  looked  upon 
by  this  class  as  paid  agents  of  the  Church,  and  the  efforts 
made  unfortunately  do  not  achieve  the  results  which,  in 
view  of  the  means  employed,  might  have  been  reasonably 
expected. 

The  Salvation  Army  has  in  this  respect  accomplished 
more  than  the  Church,  for  the  simple  reason  that  its  mem- 


488        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

bers  put  themselves  on  the  same  plane  with  this  class  of 
the  population,  and  make  the  people  feel  that  they  are 
really  concerned  regarding  their  temporal  and  spiritual 
welfare.  These  Christian  workers  are  ready  to  deny  them- 
selves and  live  among  them  in  the  same  poor  circumstances 
as  those  they  endeavor  to  save.  Every  one  who  knows 
the  human  heart  is  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  desire 
for  better  conditions  has  not  died  out  even  in  this  class, 
and  that,  on  the  contrary,  they  also  are  possessed  of  a 
striving  which,  as  a  matter  of  course,  is  only  concerned 
with  temporal  results.  Conditions,  however,  are  such  that 
it  is  difficult  for  these  people  to  tear  themselves  away.  If 
no  one  takes  them  by  the  hand  and  shows  them  the  way 
they  will  never  break  the  fetters  and  come  out  of  this 
sunken  and  hopeless  condition.  It  is  therefore  left  to  the 
Church  to  find  ways  and  means  to  help  this  class  of  people 
and  elevate  them  morally  and  religiously.  Their  temporal 
welfare  will,  of  course,  go  hand  in  hand  with  this.  Moody, 
who  studied  this  question  minutely,  came  to  this  result: 
^'Give  me  women,^'  said  he,  "to  work  among  this  class  of 
the  population.^^  Moody  was  a  practical  man,  and  here, 
too,  he  took  the  proper  view.  More  than  ever  be- 
fore are  we  in  need  to-day  of  female  power.  We  need 
women  who  will  give  up  the  luxuries  of  life,  who  will 
forsake  society  and  friends,  and  condescend  to  help  this 
class  of  men.  They  must  patiently  persevere  until  these 
people  regain  confidence  and  give  heed  to  the  Church  and 
the  gospel.  The  only  hope  and  possibility  of  elevating 
and  saving  this  class  of  the  population  in  our  great  cities 
lies  in  the  unselfish  and  devoted  activity  of  such  women. 
The  sufferings,  cares,  and  sicknesses  of  these  most  aban- 
doned ones  can  only  be  reached  by  ministrations  of  love 
that  will  take  a  personal  interest,  nurse,  encourage,  counsel, 
and  assist;  that  will  give  work  to  the  unemployed,  gather 


Mission  of  the  Female  Diaconate.  489 

the  children  in  kindergartens  and  the  infants  in  day  nur- 
series, and  be  present  everywhere  where  help  is  needed. 
These  people  need  education,  not  through   books  on  the 
school  bench,  but  education  in  the  affairs  of  daily  life,  in 
practical  economy,  in  the  preparation  of  food,  in  sick-nurs- 
ing,  housekeeping,   and   the   training  of   children.      They 
should  also  be  taught  the  lessons  of  morality  and  practical 
Christianity,   and   this   can   best   be   done   by  deaconesses. 
The  spirit  and  love  of  Him  who  "came  not  to  be  min- 
istered unto,  but  to  minister,  and  give  His  life  a  ransom 
for  many,^^  must  be  shown  these  people  in  incorporated 
reality,  and  for  this  purpose  more  than  an  occasional  visit 
is  necessary.     Deaconesses  who  labor  in  these  quarters  will 
come  in  daily,  unsought  touch  with  this  class  of  people; 
they  will  develop  a  relation  of  friendship,  and  win  them' 
over  to  confidence.    Here  is  a  great  and  useful  iield  for 
deaconesses,  and  the  Mother  Houses  should  become  central 
stations  whence  the  most  extended  ministrations  of  love 
might  be  directed  in  a  systematic  manner.     The  time  will 
come  when  tens  of  thousands  of  deaconesses,  in  city  and 
country,  will  sacrifice  their  lives  in  Christian  love  services. 
We  are  convinced  that  the  Deaconess  Cause  has  a  great 
future  in  the  United  States,  and  the  promising  beginning 
leads  to  the  hope  that  in  this  respect  even  greater  things 
will  be  accomplished  hei'e  than  up  to  the  present  time  in 
Europe. 

Many  of  the  most  prominent  leaders  of  the  American 
Deaconess  Movement  have  visited  Germany  within  the  past 
century,  and  become  acquainted  with  the  work  on  its  na- 
tive heath  by  personal  inspection.  That  the  tried  rules 
of  the  old  Fatherland  were  upheld  stands  as  a  matter  of 
course.  It  is  a  beautiful  trait  in  the  American's  char- 
acter that  he  is  always  ready  to  appropriate  without  preju- 
dice the  good  wherever  it  is  found.     It  should  not,  how- 


490        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

ever,  be  overlooked  that  the  German  way  and  arrange- 
ment must  not  be  copied  mathematically,  any  more  than 
Fliedner  would  shapen  the  Deaconess  Work  of  modern 
times  in  all  respects  after  that  of  the  Apostolic  Church. 
The  essential  foundation  is  and  remains  the  principal 
thing — the  form  of  manifestation  is  accidental,  and  may 
well  accommodate  itself  to  the  present  circumstances  and 
to  different  times  and  lands.  For  example,  the  Mother 
House  idea  was  not  entertained  in  the  Apostolic  Church, 
nor  did  the  deaconesses  appear  in  conventional  costume. 
But  even  so  the  preacher's  office  of  the  old  Church  lacked 
a  preparatory  school  and  that  official  halo  which  to-day 
is  so  prominent;  yet  is  the  preacher's  office  not  essentially 
different  from  that  of  the  old  Church.  The  totally  changed 
time  conditions  explain  the  community  feature  and  insti- 
tution management  of  the  deaconess  office  of  the  present 
day.  This  changed  management  and  methodically-ar- 
ranged practice  are  in  accordance  with  our  modern  Church 
conditions  requiring  them,  not  only  necessary  and  whole- 
some, but  they  are  the  only  proper  and  normal  course. 

Now,  just  as  the  historical  development  of  the  State 
Church  in  Germany  is  fundamentally  different  from  the 
development  of  the  American  free  Churchdom,  so  will  and 
must  the  Deaconess  Cause  develop  and  shapen  itself  dif- 
ferently. The  Deaconess  Work  here  springs  from  an- 
other soil,  and  it  must  be  suited  to  altogether  different 
Church  relations.  The  education  of  our  daughters  is  dif- 
ferent. Our  daughters  in  general  are  more  free  and  in- 
dependent. The  Deaconess  Cause  is  still  unknown  in  wider 
circles,  and  has  to  combat  with  heavy  prejudices.  It  will 
take  a  number  of  years  before  it  attains  the  position  that 
it  occupies  in  the  eyes  of  the  people  in  Germany.  The 
daughters  of  the  higher  social  circles  are  even  farther 
removed  from  the  subject  than  those  of  the  Old  World. 


Mission  of  the  Female  Diaconate.  491 

As  to  the  embodying  of  the  Deaconess  Cause  into  the 
organism  of  the  Church,  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  the 
desired  result,  with  two  exceptions,  has  not  been  reached. 
These  exceptions  are  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  The  Lutheran  Dea- 
coness Institute  in  Baltimore  may  also  be  counted  in. 
However,  it  may  only  be  a  question  of  time  when  all 
Churches  will  have  embodied  the  Deaconess  Institution 
into  their  ecclesiastical  organism.  Of  course,  it  must  al- 
ways be  presupposed  that  the  Deaconess  Cause,  wherever 
it  may  be,  is  not  of  artificial  or  fashionable  growth,  but 
that  it  supplies  a  deeply-felt  want,  and,  suited  to  our  con- 
ditions, develops  itself  upon  genuinely  evangelical  soil,  and 
proves  its  efficiency  as  a  legitimate  spiritual  daughter  of 
the  Christian  Church. 

There  is  serious  danger  still  for  the  Deaconess  Cause 
in  America  in  the  defective  knowledge  of  its  true  essence. 
The  American  spirit  of  enterprise  and  ardent  ambition 
for  deeds  mislead  many  devout  and  noble-minded  people 
to  begin  the  work  without  the  proper  understanding  and 
without  the  necessary  experience  to  venture  upon  a  field 
in  which  there  are  many  difficult  problems  to  solve.  It  is 
therefore  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  many  institutions,  after 
brief  experimenting,  collapsed,  and  that  out  of  Mother 
Houses,  promising  in  the  beginning,  plain  Protestant  hos- 
pitals with  training-schools  have  gone  forth.  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  get  the  approved  personnel  for  the  management 
of  the  institution,  and  frequent  changes  have  retarded  and, 
in  some  cases,  totally  destroyed  the  young  work.  There  has 
been  no  lack  of  good  will,  of  the  spirit  of  enterprise,  and 
of  financial  resources ;  but  our  ambition  to  do  great  things 
always  ran  danger  of  transgressing  the  limits.  Thus, 
not  infrequently,  the  chief  work  of  management  was  done 
at  the  sessions  of  the  Board  of  Managers,  and  the  hands 


49^        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

of  the  appointed  leaders,  the  superintendent  and  superi- 
oress, were  tied.  However,  it  need  not  to  be  feared  that 
our  practical  people  will  not  find  the  right  way  also  in 
this  matter,  and  if  the  Directory,  for  the  greater  part 
made  up  of  the  laity,  is  granted  greater  rights  than  in 
the  old  country,  this  is  beneficial  in  another  direction,  be- 
cause it  can  only  be  useful  if  the  laity  becomes  thoroughly 
interested  in  this  great  movement. 

It  is  a  great  evil  that  nearly  all  Deaconess  Institutions 
are  seriously  overburdened.  From  all  sides  is  heard  the 
clamor  for  deaconesses ;  everywhere  new  institutions  are 
to  be  established,  and  for  the  daily  increasing  needs  the 
available  number  is  far  from  being  sui!icient.  Not  one 
institution  has  even  approximately  the  necessary  number 
of  deaconesses,  and  yet  it  is  expected  that  the  Mother 
Houses  are  to  help  in  every  direction.  In  many  instances 
the  besieging  demands  could  not  be  withstood,  and  sev- 
eral institutions  that  had  a  promising  beginning  were 
crippled.  The  obligations  of  work  exceed  their  strength; 
the  deaconesses  have  not  time  sufficient  for  their  spiritual 
edification  and  preparing  for  their  vocation,  and  thus  they 
are  frequently  discouraged,  and  the  spirit  of  the  house  loses, 
through  the  driving  work,  its  quiet  character,  which  each 
Mother  House  should  have.  The  forces  of  the  deacon- 
esses are  consumed  too  rapidly  and  their  service  is  alienated 
in  a  manner  that  must  become  fatal.  Another  mistake 
is,  that  deaconesses  are  not  infrequently  sent  out  with  in- 
sufficient training.  This  is  all  the  more  dangerous  as  the 
present  time  makes  great  demands  on  the  deaconesses,  and 
often  those  entering  the  community  have  neither  knowl- 
edge nor  the  necessary  experience  to  fit  them  in  one  or 
two  years  for  their  responsible  vocation.  In  nearly  all 
Mother  Houses  the  complaint  is  made  that  the  Sisters, 
through  over-exertion,  do  not  derive  the  proper  advantage 


Missiox  OF  THE  Female  Diaconate  493 

from  instruction,  that  they  can  hardly  be  expected  to 
memorize  much,  and  that  the  hours  of  study  are  too  fre- 
quently interrupted.  The  service  of  Mary  in  the  deaconess 
vocation  is  too  frequently  swallowed  up  by  the  service  of 
Martha,  and,  because  thereby  the  inner  source  of  life  is 
not  sufficiently  nourished,  freshness  and  pleasure  in  the 
work  are.  often  lacking.  The  institutions  are  running  in 
danger  of  alienation  and  depression,  because  nearly  all  of 
them  suffer  from  an  excess  of  work.  It  is  a  beautiful  ut- 
terance that  a  rector  of  one  of  the  institutions  gives :  "The 
Deaconess  Mother  House,  as  a  training  and  educational 
institution,  should,  with  all  fidelity,  deeply  ground  the 
Sisters  in  religion,  teach  them  the  care  of  the  sick  and 
children,  fill  up  the  gaps  of  school-training,  and,  without 
overburdening  them  with  coarse  work,  make  them  efficient 
in  house  management.  Unfortunately,  this  end  is  seldom 
reached  in  the  new  institutions."  At  a  Deaconess  Con- 
ference, a  superintendent  put  the  following  question  of 
conscience :  "Are  the  young  Sisters,  by  their  prolonged 
sojourn  in  the  Mother  House,  so  introduced  into  the  sub- 
ject of  the  diaconate  and  technically  so  trained  that,  when 
sent  out  as  well-skilled  and  worthy  representatives  of  the 
cause,  they  may  assist  in  the  building  up  of  God's  king- 
dom? Or  do  the  Mother  Houses,  impelled  by  the  requests 
outside,  allow  themselves  to  send  out  Sisters  who,  unfixed, 
insufficiently  prepared  and  schooled,  rather  injure  than 
benefit  by  their  activity  the  Church  as  well  as  the  diaconate 
in  their  appreciation?"  What  has  been  said  goes  to  show 
that  the  evil  conditions  are  known  and  that  efforts  are 
being  made  to  remove  them,  but  even  the  best  of  will  can 
not  succeed  against  the  overwhelming  force  of  circum- 
stances. In  this  respect  a  great  injury  can  only  l)e  ol)viated 
if  the  congregations,  and  especially  the  preachers,  will  take 
a  greater  interest  in  the  female  diaconate,  and  better  rec- 


494        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

ognize  its  significance  and  importance.  They  will  then 
be  ready  to  encourage  young  women  to  enter  into  the  Dea- 
coness Work  and  send  to  the  institutions  Sisters  in  greater 
numbers. 

If  we  reflect  on  the  ill-placed  conditions  pointed  out, 
as  they  are  manifested  in  many  Mother  Houses,  we  are 
better  able  to  speak  for  the  American  way  according  to 
which  a  separate  training-school  is  connected  with  the 
Deaconess  Institution,  even  if  the  German  Mother  House 
idea  is  given  the  preference.  The  training-schools  have 
their  advantages.  It  is  difficult  to  understand  why,  from  a 
certain  side,  the  American  method  is  so  severely  con- 
demned. If  a  young  woman  enters  a  training-school,  and 
for  two  years  devotes  her  imdivided  strength  and  time  to 
theoretical  instruction  in  order  to  be  then  received  into  a 
Deaconess  Institution,  such  a  course  has  its  advantages. 
After  the  deaconesses  have  thus  been  prepared,  they  can 
more  easily  give  themselves  to  practical  instruction  in  the 
nursing  of  the  sick  and  city  mission  or  kindergarten  work. 
They  will  be  less  burdened  and  find  more  satisfaction  in 
their  calling. 

It  is  pleasant  to  note  that  the  Mother  Houses  also, 
wherever  the  means  allow  it,  domicile  the  deaconesses  in 
their  own  Home,  and  emphatically  keep  it  separate  from 
the  hospital.  Unfortunately,  up  to  the  present  time,  most 
of  the  institutions  have  an  overweaning  hospital  character, 
and  hence  flowed  principally  the  miscondition  of  which 
Fliedner  in  the  beginning  complained:  "The  Mother 
House,  as  such,  has  so  far  too  little  care,  and  the  proba- 
tioners receive  too  little  instruction  and  spiritual  atten- 
tion.^' It  is  indispensably  necessary  that  the  deaconesses 
should  live  in  their  own  Home,  apart  from  the  hospital. 
This  Home  must  bear  the  family  character;  here  the  dea- 
conesses are  to  receive  their  finished  training,  and  hither 


Missiox  OF  THE  Female  Diaconate.  495 

they  are  to  return  from  the  hospital  or  other  work,  after 
the  day's  burdens  and  heat  are  over.  Then  the  Deaconess 
Home,  and  not  the  hospital,  will  be  the  domicile  and  train- 
ing-school of  the  deaconesses,  and  they  will  consider  them- 
selves daughters  of  the  Mother  House,  and  it  will  replace 
to  them,  in  a  great  degree,  the  home  of  their  parents. 
We  can  not  warn,  therefore,  often  enough  against  the 
numerous  and  great  hospital  enterprises.  Xot  infrequently 
they  are  the  grave  of  the  Deaconess  Institution.  We  are 
too  precipitate  to-day  in  the  building  of  hospitals. 

But  why  was  the  deaconess  office  renewed  at  so  late  a 
date  in  America?  It  may  be  that  the  total  failure  of  the 
attempt  made  by  Fliedner  to  transplant  the  Deaconess  In- 
stitution to  American  soil  had  its  evil  effects,  and  we  ought 
not  to  forget  that,  by  our  free  Church  system,  so  general 
and  liberal  an  exercise  of  charity  was  practiced  that,  on 
that  account,  no  great  need  of  deaconesses  was  felt.  Be- 
sides, the  young  and  active  Church  of  America  had  so 
many  irons  in  the  fire  that  it  was  difficult  to  inspire  her 
with  a  new  thought.  Added  to  this  was  the  strong  anti- 
Eoman  feeling  of  the  people  and  the  confounding  of  the 
female  diaconate  with  the  monastic  life.  But  all  this 
is  finally  not  a  satisfactory  explanation.  We  have  no 
doubt  here  to  deal  with  one  of  the  great  mysteries  of  the 
kingdom  of  God.  History  shows  us  that  God  always  steps 
in  at  the  right  moment,  and  that  he  inaugurates  a  move- 
ment through  a  chosen  personality  whom  he  especially  fits 
out  and  commissions  to  lead  his  cause.  In  this  country, 
as  we  have  elscAvhere  shown,  there  was  no  lack  of  individual 
voices  nor  of  individual  attempts.  Eeports  were  made  on 
the  subject  at  pastoral  Conferences,  Synods,  Assemblies, 
and  Conventions,  and  the  ecclesiastical  press  frequently 
raised  its  voice;  but,  when  the  right  moment  had  arrived, 
did  the  seed  sown  grow  up,  and,  like  unto  a  magic  stroke, 


496         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

institutions  shot  up  out  of  the  earth  like  mushrooms  in 
all  parts  of  our  great  and  wide  country.  There  was  awak- 
ened an  emulation  that  caused  constant  wonderment.  That 
the  life  of  the  institution  should  have  shaped  itself  dif- 
ferently, and  not  have  been  a  servile  imitation  of  the  Ger- 
man Mother  Houses,  may  be  considered  a  matter  of  course 
to  those  who  know  the  difference  of  American  conditions 
and  those  of  Germany;  but  it  is  just  as  evident  that  we 
can  learn  from  Germany,  and  that  much  wisdom  will  be 
required  to  steer  clear  of  the  threatening  dangers.  Each 
system  has  its  advantages  and  its  dangers,  and  in  the  first 
years  in  America  it  was  not  clear  which  one  of  the  dif- 
ferent methods  would  prove  the  best.  We  hold  that  the 
German  Mother  House  idea,  somewhat  modified  and 
adapted  to  American  conditions,  will  be  proved  in  the  fu- 
ture as  the  best  method.  The  Mother  House  must  remain 
the  center  of  authority;  each  deaconess  ought  to  feel  that 
here  she  has  a  home  and  a  place  where  she  will  be  taken 
care  of  in  the  event  of  disability  for  service,  and  finally, 
in  her  old  age;  for,  after  all,  the  guarantee  for  their  care 
in  the  future  can  only  be  furnished  by  the  Mother  House. 
Before  we  cbse  this  chapter  we  would  like  to  call  at- 
tention to  a  point  that  has  frequently  been  explained. 
In  America  we  stand  upon  free  Church  soil.  The  great 
Protestant  denominations  join  hands;  they  all  have  the 
same  problems  to  solve  and  the  same  aim  to  pursue.  Would 
it  not,  therefore,  be  advisable  to  build  up  the  Deaconess 
Cause  on  interdenominational  ground?  This  question  is 
answered  by  many  with  an  emphatic  affirmative,  while 
others  just  as  positively  believe  that  the  object  would  be 
reached  more  easily  and  better  in  a  strictly  denominational 
domain.  On  this  side  the  Deaconess  Cause  has  been  prom- 
ised a  great  future,  and  the  establishment  of  institutions 
on  an  interdenominational  basis  characterized  as  a  mis- 


Mission  of  the  Female  Diacoxate.  497 

take.  Experience  hardly  justifies  us  so  far  to  answer  this 
question  decisively,  one  way  or  another.  It  is  a  fact  that 
a  smooth  and  rapid  development  within  the  Deaconess 
Homes  of  the  outspoken  denominational  direction  is  not 
a  rule  in  the  lives  of  their  experience,  while,  on  the  other 
hand,  in  the  interdenominational  territory — as,  for  in- 
stance, in  Cincinnati  and  Buffalo— there  has  not  been  a 
lack  of  rapid  and  promising  progress.  If  we  cast  our  eyes 
on  Europe,  we  find  that,  during  the  fifty  years  of  its  ex- 
istence, the  older  Parisian  institution  counts  not  more  than 
seventy-five  deaconesses,  and  this  at  first  sight  does  not 
seem  to  open  a  very  favorable  prospect  to  the  interdenomi- 
national houses  for  the  winning  of  working  forces.  But 
if  we  reflect  that  in  Paris  there  is  also  a  strictly  denomina- 
tional institution,  established  in  his  day  by  Rev.  Felix 
Kuhn,  which,  during  the  first  twelve  years  of  its  existence, 
did  not  count  more  than  fifteen  deaconesses,  we  have  here 
a  relatively  depressing  contrast.  However,  we  ought  per- 
haps to  find  the  real  cause  there  in  local  conditions,  and 
should,  therefore,  not  apply  the  same  rule  to  America. 
The  history  of  the  female  diaconate  shows  that  its  develop- 
ment depends  largely  upon  the  locality.  It  is  our  personal 
opinion  that  the  ideal  ]\Iother  House  will  in  this  country 
grow  in  denominational  soil. 


32 


CHAPTEE  XV. 

THE   HOSPITAL   IN  GENERAL,   AND   THE   DEACONESS 
HOSPITAL  IN  PARTICULAR.- 

History  shows  us  that  we  owe  the  origin  of  hospitals, 
not  to  medical  science,  but  to  religion.  It  need  not  astonish 
us  to  learn  that  hosjjitals  (houses  for  the  sick)  were  known 
in  ante-Christian  times.  That  they  are  not  found  with 
the  cultured  Greeks  and  Romans,  but  with  the  Buddhists, 
is  proof  that  they  are  not  the  result  of  culture  and  civiliza- 
tion, but  of  religion.  In  the  religion  of  the  Greeks  and 
Romans  there  was  nothing  that  sanctified  life  and  pro- 
moted brotherly  love.  Physically  and  intellectually  these 
nations  reached  a  high  degree  of  development,  but  morally 
they  made  little  progress,  and  sank  gradually  deeper-  and 
deeper,  until  they  finally  perished.  Buddhism  teaches  that 
every  living  being  is  holy ;  therefore  the  Buddhist  endeavors 
to  prolong  life,  building  hospitals,  not  only  for  men,  but 
also  for  animals — even  for  the  insects.  During  the  reign 
of  Asokas,  who  died  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  years 
before  Christ,  a  writing  was  engraved  by  the  Buddhists  into 
a  cliff,  which  shows  that  at  this  time,  along  the  country 
roads,  there  were  houses  for  the  sick  where  travelers  were 
furnished  with  medicine.  There  were  at  the  time,  as 
Dr.  Wiser  proves  in  his  "Review  of  the  History  of  Medi- 


*Thls  chapter,  strictly  speaking,  does  not  fit  into  the  frame  of  this 
work.  But  as  the  nursing  of  the  sick  and  the  entire  hospital  regime 
are  in  such  close  relations  to  the  Deaconess  Cause,  and  both  are  con- 
stantly dependent  upon  each  other,  and  as,  besides,  the  development  of 
the  modern  hospital  owes  so  much  to  the  female  diaconate,  we  have 
permitted  ourselves  to  add  a  chapter  on  the  subject.  The  hospital  and 
Mother  House  questions  are  so  closely  united  that  it  will  never  be  pos- 
sible to  separate  them. 

498 


The  Hospital.  499 

cine/^  hospitals  for  cripples,  for  lying-in  women,  for  the 
blind,  for  incurables,  for  lepers,  and  such  as  suffered  from 
elephantiasis.  As  a  matter  of  course,  the  hospitals  of  that 
pre-Christian  time  can  not  be  compared  with  those  of  the 
present,  but  we  nevertheless  find  the  fundamental  elements 
of  the  hospital  present.  It  may  appear  surprising  that 
the  best  encyclopedias  in  the  discussion  of  hospitals  do  not 
go  behind  the  birth  of  Christ,  and  the  reason  of  this  is 
probably  because  the  several  books  that  have  been  written 
on  the  subject  of  hospitals  begin  with  the  Christian  era. 

That  the  Christian  Church  at  very  early  date  erected 
hospitals  is  by  no  means  accidental,  and  their  origin  is  no 
doubt  to  be  ascribed  to  the  willingness  of  the  Church  to 
relieve  distress  by  means  of  benevolent  organizations  and 
institutions  of  every  sort.  The  Church  in  this  course 
followed  in  the  footsteps  of  the  great  Master,  who  was  in- 
tent upon  relieving  pain  and  prolonging  life.  Quite  soon 
did  people  follow  the  impulses  of  Divine  love  poured  out 
into  the  heart,  and  build  houses  for  the  poor,  sick,  widows, 
orphans,  and  the  helpless.  These  houses,  for  the  most 
part,  stood  next  to  the  Church,  and  were  under  the  direct 
supervision  of  a  clergyman.  By  degrees  the  suffering  were 
classified,  and  thus  institutions  arose  of  all  kinds. 

The  first  great  hospital  mentioned  in  Church  history, 
and  which  deserves  this  name  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the 
word,  was  founded  in  the  fourth  century  in  the  days  of 
Constantino  the  Great.  The  famous  Basilius  Hospital  was 
erected  in  C<Tesarea  a])out  the  year  370,  and  somewhat 
later  Chrysostom  had  two  hospitals  erected  in  Constan- 
tinople, which  were  supported  out  of  the  Church  funds. 
These  houses  for  the  sick  were  named  in  those  days  "Xenod- 
ochia,"  or  Lodgings  for  Strangers.  About  the  year  400, 
hospitals  were  erected  in  most  of  the  greater  cities  of  the 
Orient,  and  their  example  was  later  followed  in  the  Occi- 


500        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

dent.  The  first  hospital  in  Europe  was  built  by  Fabiola 
in  Eome.  Charitable  ministrations  were  not,  however,  con- 
fined to  the  sick ;  for  there  were  built  orphan  asylums,  old 
men^s  and  widows'  homes,  institutions  for  lying-in  women, 
foundling  hosj^itals,  Magdalen  asylums,  and  later  there 
were  added  insane  asylums  and  institutions  for  the  blind 
and  deaf-mutes.  Their  support  was  provided  by  the 
Church,  either  directly  by  means  of  collections,  or  by  con- 
tributions from  affluent  and  wealthy  people.  As  a  rule 
both  sources  were  drawn  upon.  By  degrees  these  institu- 
tions, through  greater  gifts  and  bequests,  accumulated  a 
permanent  fund,  the  interest  of  which,  in  many  cases,  was 
sufficient  to  cover  the  current  expenses.  The  supervision 
was  primarily  in  the  hands  of  the  bishop,  who  appointed 
the  officials,  and  they  in  turn  were  responsible  to  him. 
The  nursing  personnel  was  thus  in  the  service  of  the 
Church,  and  it. is  easily  shown  that  here  were  the  germs 
of  the  nursing  and  hospital  orders  of  the  Middle  Ages. 
Gradually  the  benevolences  were  concentrated  upon  these 
institutions,  which  finally  became  the  real  agents  of  the 
exercise  of  charity. 

We  will  mention  a  few  of  the  women  who  in  those 
days  accomplished  great  things.  History  tells  us  of 
Placilla,  consort  of  Emperor  Theodosius  the  Great,  that 
she  frequently  performed  menial  service  in  the  hospitals, 
not  only  nursing  the  sick,  but  making  their  beds,  pre- 
paring their  food,  cleansing  their  rooms,  and  scouring 
the  floors.  She  was  not  only  'of  devout  mind,  but  much 
gifted,  and  in  making  the  rounds  of  the  sick-beds  to  com- 
fort the  suffering  and  pray  with  the  dying,  it  was  plain 
that  she  had  herself  learned  much  in  the  school  of  her 
Savior. 

Olympia,  born  in  368,  lived  at  the  time  of  the  three 
emperors,    Theodosius    the    Great     (379-395),    Arcadius 


The  Hospital.  501 

(395-408),  and  Theodosius  II  (408-450).  Her  parents 
died  early  and  left  her  a  great  fortune,  which,  later,  when 
she  was  consecrated  a  deaconess,  she  gave  to  the  Church 
and  to  the  poor.  Slie  served  principally  as  a  nurse  in  the 
hospitals  whicli  Chrysostom  had  erected  in  Constantinople. 

Macrina  is  another  deaconess  of  those  days.  We  know 
her  from  history  as  the  gifted  sister  of  Basilius  the  Great, 
after  whom  the  first  great  hospital,  already  mentioned, 
was  named.  Macrina  possessed  great  strength  of  soul  and 
mental  gifts,  and  in  her  youth  received  a  many-sided  edu- 
cation. At  an  early  age  she  was  consecrated  a  deaconess, 
and  in  Csesarea  performed  good  service  as  superioress  of 
a  community,  and  probably  as  superintendent  of  the  hos- 
pital in  that  city.  The  service  of  the  sick  in  those  days 
(close  of  the  fourth  and  beginning  of  the  fifth  century) 
was  looked  arfter  by  deaconesses,  and  the  hospitals  at  that 
time  may  be  justly  denominated  as  Deaconess  Homes. 

But  as  the  female  diaconate  was  more  and  more  sup- 
planted by  the  order  of  nuns,  so  did  also  the  hospitals  grad- 
ually become  monastic  property.  The  monastery  now  be- 
came the  chief  agent  of  benevolences,  and  the  monastic  hos- 
pital took  the  place  of  the  Deaconess  Hospital.  The 
Church  was  given  an  liierarchical  stamp,  until  finally  in 
the  Mediseval  Ages  the  laity  became  completely  passive, 
and  the  ministrations  of  charity  were  confined  to  the 
cloisters  and  ecclesiastical  orders.  There  arose  the  orders 
of  the  Lazarists,  Crusaders,  of  St.  Anthony,  of  St.  John, 
and  numerous  others.  The  female  sex  that  had  placed 
itself  in  tlie  service  of  the  Church  lived  in  nunneries.  At 
that  time  they  were  already  in  possession  of  imposing  build- 
ings. It  was  only  later  when  the  laity  were  seized  and 
permeated  with  a  self-conscious  religious  life  that  the 
gaping  chasm  which  had  separated  the  cloister  from  every- 
day life  was  again  bridged  over,  and  the  Christian  exercise 


502        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

of  benevolence  was  again  performed  by  lay  Brothers  and 
Sisters  of  Charity.  And  here  a  turning-point  is  indicated 
in  history.  Hospitals  were  now  developed  alongside  of  the 
cloisters  as  self-dependent  institutions,  until  finally  the 
monastic  hospital  was  entirely  crowded  out  by  the  hos- 
pital of  the  religious  orders. 

The  Brothers  who  attended  to  the  nursing  of  the  sick 
in  the  hospitals  of  the  religious  orders  were  content  with 
the  simplest  food  and  clothing.  They  held  steadfast  to 
the  principle  of  self-sacrificing  love,  and  professed  to  fol- 
low in  the  footsteps  of  Him  who  "came  not  to  be  min- 
istered unto,  but  to  minister."  They  therefore  called  the 
poor  and  sick  their  masters,  and  as  the  followers  of  Christ 
they  were  the  servants  of  Christ's  poor.  The  conscientious 
observance  of  this  principle  was  at  all  times  a  blessing  to 
the  benevolent  institutions,  and  it  is  therefore  no  wonder 
that  in  a  short  time  they  developed  a  high  degree  of  pros- 
perity. Unfortunately  this  exercise  of  charity  deteriorated 
into  the  doctrine  of  a  severe  justification  by  works.  Their 
aim  was,  therefore,  finally  no  longer  the  relief  of  distress 
and  help  for  Jesus^  sake,  but  the  reward  of  merit.  Al- 
though at  this  time  extraordinary  results  were  accom- 
plished in  the  nursing  of  the  sick  and  poor,  so  that  the  hos- 
pitals might  well  serve  as  examples  to  future  generations, 
the  chief  merit  of  the  hospital  order  lies  not  in  its  accom- 
plishments, because  its  motives  w^re  not  pure,  but  in  the 
incentive  which  was  thereby  given  to  centuries  following. 

After  a  standstill  of  somewhat  long  duration,  the  hos- 
pital received  a  special  impetus  in  the  thirteenth  and  four- 
teenth centuries.  In  every  direction  new  and  great  hos- 
pitals were  built,  and,  more  than  ever  before,  was  woman 
called  upon  for  the  mission  of  nursing.  It  was  notably 
in  Germany,  France,  and  England  that  the  most  detailed 
attention  was  paid  to  this  branch  of  Christian  benevolence. 


The  Hospital.  503 

But  the  hospital  management  now  passed  more  and  more 
into  the  hands  of  citizens,  as  indeed  the  influence  of  citizen- 
ship in  all  the  domains  of  social  and  municipal  life  made 
itself  increasingly  felt.  If  the  monastic  hospital  was 
superseded  by  the  hospital  of  the  religious  orders,  the 
municipal  or  city  hospital  was  tlie  product  of  the  latter, 
the  transition  being  quite  natural. 

In  the  thirteenth  century  the  cities  received  a  mighty 
impulse ;  commerce  and  traffic  prospered,  guilds  sprang  up, 
and  civil  liberty  was  developed  in  a  manner  hitherto  un- 
known. Tradesmen  and  guild  men  gradually  took  the 
place  of  patricians.  N'ew  conditions  carried  with  them  new 
duties,  and  with  growing  cities  and  increasing  commerce 
the  need  of  hospitals  became  ever  greater.  Liberality  kept 
step  with  the  increased  prosperity,  and  many  cities  took 
pride  in  great  and  well-appointed  hospitals.  Their  man- 
agement lay,  for  the  greater  part,  in  the  hands  of  the 
municipal  authorities.  The  city  appointed  a  steward,  and 
he  in  turn  engaged  the  male  and  female  nurses,  and  gener- 
ally a  coat  of  arms  was  used.  Also,  in  the  monastic  hos- 
pitals and  those  of  the  religious  orders,  of  which  there  were 
still  a  number,  the  city  authorities  sought  to  have  a  word 
to  say.  Finally  the  city  hospitals  completely  overshadowed 
those  of  the  Church.  In  the  latter  the  nurses  and  at- 
tendants took  the  vows  of  poverty,  chastity,  and  ol^edience, 
donating  their  temporal  possessions  to  the  institution,  in 
consequence  of  which  tliey  received  maintenance  for  life. 
The  habit  of  the  order  was  exceedingly  simple,  and  his- 
tory tells  us  of  numerous  examples  at  this  time  of  noble 
self-sacrifice.  Xurses  in  the  city  hospitals  were  well  paid, 
and  the  principle  of  management  was  entirely  different 
from  that  of  the  ecclesiastical  hospital. 

In  the  days  of  the  Reformation  the  hospital  question 
entered  upon  a  new  stage.    In  many  countries  monasteries, 


504  IIlSTOUY    OF    THE    DeACONESS    MOVEMENT. 

and  with  them  the  hospital  order,  were  abolished,  and  thus 
the  nursing  in  hospitals  passed  almost  completely  into 
civic  hands.  Frequently  they  became  the  subjects  of  gain. 
Competition  ceased,  and  for  a  while,  until  the  close  of  the 
preceding  century,  the  hospital  cause  retrograded.  Little 
attention  was  paid  to  diet,  ventilation,  order,  rest,  and 
cleanliness,  and  the  nursing  profession  deteriorated  more 
and  more  to  an  ordinary  mechanical  profession.  That  was 
the  time  when  the  saying  counted,  "Tlie  hospitals  cost  more 
lives  than  the  sword.^^  The  hospitals  became  veritable  pest- 
houses,  into  which  people  were  dragged  to  suffer  all  man- 
ner of  tortures  that  could  be  inflicted  upon  them  through 
irresponsible  indifference  and  ignorance.  It  is  maintained 
that,  in  the  well-known  Parisian  hospital  "Hotel  Dieu,^' 
only  one  bed  was  provided  for  eight  i)atients,  four  of  whom 
were  placed  therein,  and  the  other  four  on  the  floor.  They 
changed  about  every  six  hours.  If  in  an  English  hospital 
a  patient  died  after  ten  o'clock,  his  companion  was  obliged 
to  lie  beside  the  dead  until  the  corpse  was  removed  on  the 
next  morning  by  the  nurse.  Xo  wonder,  therefore,  that 
hospitals  came  into  such  disrepute  that,  even  at  the  pres- 
ent day,  it  is  difficult  for  many  people  to  overcome  their 
prejudices  against  them.  The  characters  which  Dickens 
describes  in  his  works  as  "Sairey  Gamp"  and  "Betsey 
Prig"  are  not  caricatures  of  a  wild  fancy,  but  persons 
who  actually  lived  and  who  have  put  the  stamp  of  con- 
tempt and  ridicule  upon  the  vocation  of  nurse,  and  im- 
parted to  the  public  a  nauseating  disgust  against  all  hos- 
pitals. 

True,  there  was  no  lack  of  great  hospitals  erected  in  the 
sixteenth  and  others  in  the  seventeenth  century,  of  which 
many  had  room  for  one  thousand  to  two  thousand  beds. 
A  hospital,  erected  by  Archbishop  Charles  Borromeo,  in 
the  sixteenth  centurv,  in  Milan,  was  enlaroed  in  course 


The  Hospital.  505 

of  time  to  such  an  extent  that,  at  the  beginning  of  the  pre- 
ceding century,  it  had  room  for  three  thousand  patients. 
The  great  wards  were  open  to  all  nations,  and  the  most 
prominent  physicians  of  Italy  gave  their  services  to  the 
hospital.      The  "Hotel  Dieu,"  in  Paris,  whose  beginning 
dates    back    to   the    seventh    century,    had,    for    instance, 
thirty  wards,  and  in  many  of  them  there  were  not  less 
than  ninety  beds.     The  Hospital  "La  Charite,'^  which  was 
somewhat  smaller,  was  also  an  ornament  to  the  city  of 
Paris,  and  at  the  head  of  the  Board  of  Managers  was  the 
Minister  of  the  Interior.     The  hospital  had  a  large  per- 
manent fund,  and  as  every  physician  who  would  practice 
his  profession  in  France  was  obliged   to  have  some  hos- 
pital experience,  medical  students  from  all  parts  of  the 
country  crowded  into  Paris  and  here  sought  their  training. 
Noteworthy  was  also  the  great  hospital  in  Lyons,  which 
had  room  for  two  thousand  beds  and  an  enormous  revenue 
from  house  rentals  and  real  estate,  besides  the  annual  re- 
ceipts of  a  tax  and  Church  collection.     Other  hospitals  well 
known  were  those  in  Ghent,  Lausanne,  Bern,  Zurich,  and 
Basle,  in  Switzerland,  besides  those  at  Nice,  Florence,  Pisa, 
Milan,  and  Rome,  in  Italy.    In  Brussels,  Antwerp,  Amster- 
dam, and  in  many  German  cities,  there  were  also  great  hos- 
pitals supported.     Most  of  these  were  provided  with  from 
one  hundred  to  five  hundred  beds,  and  in  nearly  every  in- 
stance a  permanent  fund  was  established,  and  wealthy  peo- 
ple founded  stipends  for  separate  beds;  but  where  this  in- 
come did  not  reach,  a  city  tax  or  Church  collection  was 
raised.     In  some  places  both  were  necessary.     A  free  dis- 
pensary was  generally  connected  with  the  hospital,  where 
poor  patients  might  consult  the  physicians  and  obtain  medi- 
cines.    Here  and  there  it  was  even  customary  to  distribute 
a  few  times  each  week  to  the  needy  bread  and  meat-broth, 
and  once  a  week  vegetables  and  meat.     The  grounds  and 


506        History  of  the  Deacoxess  Movement. 

gardens  surrounding  many  hospitals,  as  well  as  the  in- 
terior appointments,  were  magnificent,  but  there  were  poor 
sanitary  arrangements. 

Conditions  for  reception  into  these  hospitals  were  sick- 
ness and  poverty,  and  whoever  was  unable  to  pay  was  af- 
forded everything  gratis.  People  of  affluence  were,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  provided  with  a  luxuriously-appointed 
room,  and,  in  fact,  with  every  convenience  that  could  at 
that  time  be  obtained  for  money.  In  many  hospitals  there 
was  a  good  library,  and  in  others  even  an  anatomical  mu- 
seum and  botanical  garden.  Women  were  usually  assigned 
to  separate  wards,  and  in  some  instances  even  female  hos- 
pitals were  founded.  There  were  also  hospitals  for  in- 
curables and  the  insane,  and  children's  hospitals  were  not 
unknown.  In  Brussels  there  was  a  hospital  for  old  men, 
one  for  foundlings,  and  two  for  the  sick  poor  exclusively. 
The  management,  as  a  rule,  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
city  authorities  or  a  Municipal  Committee.  In  the  male 
wards  there  were  employed  exclusively  male  nurses,  who, 
besides  board  and  lodging,  received  a  monthly  stipend  of 
from  eight  to  ten  francs.  In  the  female  wards  female 
nurses  did  service,  and  their  average  salary,  besides  board 
and  lodging,  was  six  francs  per  month.  In  Catholic  con- 
gregations the  nursing  was  done  by  Catholic  Sisters.  The 
male  and  female  nurses  received  instruction  in  anatomy, 
materia  medica,  physics,  botany,  and  other  branches.  To 
save  means  and  help,  those  of  the  patients  who  were  on 
the  road  to  recovery  were  employed  in  the  hospital  for  all 
manner  of  miscellaneous  work,  as  their  strength  might 
permit. 

In  modern  times,  Florence  Nightingale  gave  the  prin- 
cipal impetus  to  a  better  appointment  and  management 
of  the  hospitals.  And  she,  on  the  other  hand,  received  her 
incentive  at  Kaiserswerth.     Here  she  received  her  first  in- 


The  Hospital.  507 

struction  in  the  nursing  of  the  sick,  and  prepared  herself 
for  her  later  vocation.  She  wrote  her  experiences  and 
opinions  in  a  book,  entitled  "^otes  on  Hospitals''  (1859), 
which  found  a  large  circulation.  Another  book,  entitled 
''Notes  on  Nursing,''  also  made  an  epoch  in  the  domain 
of  nursing;  and  if,  in  modern  times,  the  Deaconess 
Hospital  has  served  as  a  model  in  the  matter  of  hospital 
reform,  it  was  Kaiserswerth,  too,  that  in  this  direction 
accomplished  great  and  lasting  things.  Florence  Night- 
ingale laid  down  the  Kaiserswerth  principles  in  her  writ- 
ings, and  in  1860  established  a  model  training-school  for 
nurses  in  connection  with  the  St.  Thomas  Hospital  in 
London.  She  took  up  the  nursing  of  the  sick  as  a  profes- 
sion, and  insisted  upon  the  nurses  receiving  a  thoroughly 
scientific  and  practical  training  for  their  vocation ;  and  it 
appeared  to  her  to  be  self-evident  that  woman  is  particu- 
larly well  adapted  for  this  calling. 

The  hospitals  are  also  receiving  to-day  the  fullest  ad- 
vantages of  the  progress  in  the  science  of  medicine.  Phy- 
sicians in  latter  days  have  spoken  a  decisive  word  in  the 
building  of  hospitals.  It  is  now  a  matter  of  general  con- 
cern to  select  the  healthiest  site  for  a  hospital,  and  to  em- 
ploy the  principles  of  advanced  architecture  in  their  con- 
struction. In  no  other  field  have  such  thorough  reforms 
been  enacted  and  greater  scientific  progress  made  than  in 
the  erection,  arrangement,  and  management  of  hospitals. 

In  the  manner  of  construction  there  are  principally 
four  systems  to  be  distinguished :  1.  The  mixed  plan,  em- 
bracing buildings  of  all  kinds  and  styles;  2.  The  old  Block 
System;  3.  The  Corridor  System;  and,  4.  The  Pavilion 
System. 

In  olden  times  hospitals  were  built  after  the  mixed  plan. 
In  this  class  belong  the  great  hospitals  in  Paris:  Hotel 
Dieu,  La  Charite,  St.  Antoine,  and  Beaujon.    All  the  hos- 


508        History  of  tiik  Deaconess  Movement. 

pitals  in  London,  too,  that  were  erected  in  ancient  days, 
with  the  exception  of  St.  Thomas  Hospital,  are  to  be  put 
in  this  class.  King's  College  Hospital,  St.  Bartholomew's 
Hospital,  Guys  Hospital,  London  Hospital,  Middlesex  Hos- 
pital, Charing-Cross  Hospital,  University  College  Hospital ; 
and  the  old  hospitals  in  Vienna  and  Munich;  also  most  of 
the  hospitals  in  Italy,  France,  the  Netherlands,  Belgium, 
etc.,  belong  here.  Those  hospitals  that  were  erected  at  the 
close  of  the  eighteenth  and  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury were,  for  the  greater  part,  built  after  the  Block  Sys- 
tem. In  this  class  belong  the  well-known  American  hos- 
pitals:  the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital  in  Boston, 
and  the  old  'New  York  Hospital.  The  wards  are  placed 
directly  one  over  the  other  in  the  different  stories.  The 
administration  rooms,  kitchen,  operating  halls,  sleeping 
apartments,  laundr}^ — in  short,  everything  is  sheltered 
under  one  and  the  same  roof — even  the  rooms  of  the  nurses 
and  of  the  servants  are  in  the  building,  or  at  least  in  its 
immediate  vicinity.  Allied  to  the  Block  System  is  the 
Corridor  System,  and  most  of  the  hospitals  that  were  built 
about  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century  belong  to  this 
class.  The  difference  between  the  last  two  systems  is  funda- 
mentally not  very  great.  The  Corridor  System  likewise 
harbors  the  administrative  service  and  sick-rooms  in  one 
house  and  under  one  roof.  The  main  building  is  generally 
from  three  to  four  stories  in  height,  and  has  winged  an- 
nexes. Through  each  story  there  is  a  broad  passage  in  the 
center,  called  corridor;  hence  the  namiC.  The  management 
in  such  buildings  has  least  difficulties  to  contend  with;  it 
is  convenient  and  less  costly.  But  even  this  style  of  build- 
ing has  its  disadvantages.  The  ventilation  of  the  sick- 
rooms has  its  difficulties,  and  the  sunlight,  so  beneficial  to 
the  sick,  can  not  be  admitted  sufficiently.  Contagious 
diseases  may  become  very  dangerous ;  noise  and  disquietude 


The  Hospital.  509 

in  the  corridors  are  apt  to  disturb  the  sick,  and  at  times 
they  are  offended  by  odors  from  the  kitchen.  The  Pavilion 
System  has,  therefore,  been  preferred  in  more  recent  times. 
Hospitals  built  after  this  system  make  up  a  combination  of 
houses  spread  over  a  great  free  space  and  like  unto  a  city. 
The  sick-rooms  are  isolated,  systematically  grouped,  and 
mostly  separated  by  garden  plots.  The  administration 
building  is  in  the  center,  and  at  reasonable  distances  apart 
stand  the  houses  for  the  different  sick — here  for  the  men, 
there  for  the  women — and  adjoining  perhaps  a  children's 
pavilion.  There  is  a  building  for  the  treatment  of  in- 
ternal diseases,  and  one  for  surgical  cases.  Completely 
isolated  are  the  pavilions  for  contagious  diseases.  The 
buildings  are  of  one  story,  and,  in  case  of  a  lack  of  room, 
they  may  be,  by  way  of  exception,  two  or  three  stories,  the 
sick  wards  generally  affording  room  for  twenty-five  or 
thirty  beds,  besides  bath-rooms,  diet  kitchen,  rooms  for  the 
nurses,  toilet-rooms,  etc.  The  iron,  generally  white- 
enameled,  bedsteads  extend  on  both  sides  of  the  broad  pas- 
sage in  the  center  through  the  ward.  At  the  head  of 
each  bed  there  is  appended  a  slate,  on  which  are  written 
the  name  of  the  patient,  his  age,  day  of  reception,  classi- 
fication of  sickness,  temperature,  condition  of  pulse,  etc. 
The  entire  arrangement  and  appointments  are  in  accord- 
ance with  hygienic  laws,  and  such  a  hospital  must  be  seen 
in  order  to  realize  what  modern  times  have  been  able  to 
accomplish  in  this  direction.  The  chief  management  lies 
generally  in  the  hands  of  a  superintendent.  The  hospital 
physician  is  assisted  by  a  staff  of  specialists,  and,  in  pro- 
portion to  the  size  of  the  hospital,  by  a  number  of  internes. 
The  nursing  attendants  are  mostly  of  the  female  sex,  and 
in  the  United  States  there  is  connected  with  almost  every 
city  hospital  a  training-school  for  nurses.  The  course  for- 
merly embraced  two,  but,   at  present,   it  embraces  three 


510        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

years.  At  the  completion  of  their  course  of  studies  the 
nurses  receive  a  certificate,  and  then  adopt  the  private 
nursing  of  the  sick  as  their  calling.  A  good  nurse  can 
earn  from  $10  to  $25  per  week  in  any  of  the  great  cities. 

There  are  seven  kinds  of  hospitals  known  at  the  pres- 
ent day:  1.  The  City  Hospital;  2.  The  Cottage  Hospital; 
3.  The  Hospital  which  owes  its  estahlishment  and  support 
to  private  charity;  4.  The  Military  Hospital;  5.  The 
University  Hospital;  6.  The  Church  Hospital;  7.  The 
Deaconess  Hospital.  We  are  mostly  interested  in  the  lat- 
ter two,  especially  as  the  difference  between  the  Ecclesias- 
tical Hospital  and  Deaconess  Hospital  is  not  always  under- 
stood, although  it  is  considerable  and  important  enough  to 
deserve  bringing  to  a  general  knowledge.  In  order  to  gain 
a  comprehensive  view  of  the  subject,  we  will  nevertheless 
devote  our  attention  briefly  to  the  seven  classes  as  indicated. 

1.  The  City  Hospital. 

As  already  mentioned,  city  hospitals  are,  as  a  rule,  im- 
posing buildings,  erected  either  according  to  the  Corridor 
or  the  Pavilion  System.  Funds  for  their  construction  and 
support  are  usually  raised  by  city  taxes.  The  poor  are 
nursed  and  receive  medical  attention  without  compensa- 
tion; those  of  means  pay  for  these  services.  For  a  well- 
appointed  room  from  $10  to  $25  per  week  is  paid  in  the 
United  States,  and  from  $10  to  $15  extra  for  a  private 
nurse.  Its  management  is  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  city 
officials,  or  perhaps  of  a  Board  of  Managers  elected  by  the 
citizens.  At  the  present  day  almost  every  large  city  has 
its  City  Hospital,  and  the  great  cities  have  as  many  as  two 
and  three.  Magnificent  things  have  been  accomplished  in 
this  direction  in  recent  times.  New  York,  Philadelphia, 
Chicago,  Berlin,  London,  etc.,  have  hospitals  that  cost  hun- 
dreds of  thousands,  and  some  of  them  millions,  of  dollars. 


The  Hospital.  511 

In  most  instances  their  management  is  a  model  one.  As 
an  example  we  may  mention  the  Hospital  "Friedrichshain'' 
in  Berlin,  which  was  erected  in  1877  at  a  cost  of  4,520,789 
marks.  It  was  built  according  to  the  Pavilion  System  on 
a  suitable  property,  at  the  Landberger  Boulevard.  The 
ground  lies  high,  and  the  site  of  the  institution  gives  an 
open  view  of  the  adjoining  Friedrichshain  and  the  city  that 
stretches  back  of  it.  The  air  is  as  wholesome  as  may  be 
had  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  great  city.  The  entire 
grounds  are  surrounded  by  a  high  stone  wall,  and  the  build- 
ings occupy  a  ground  surface  of  11,418  square  meters,  or 
about  two  and  a'  half  acres.  To  the  visitors  of  Berlin  this 
hospital  is  more  interesting  than  all  its  barracks  and  ar- 
mories taken  together.  Everything  is  offered  here  that  is 
possible  to  nursing  and  medical  skill,  and  nurses  who  finish 
a  course  here  have  the  consciousness  that  they  had  an  op- 
portunity of  learning  something  worth  knowing.  The  cost 
of  maintenance  is,  of  course,  enormous,  but  bears  no  com- 
parison to  the  help  that  is  here  given  to  suffering  humanity. 

2.  The  Cottage  Hospital. 

This  system  is  of  English  origin,  and  not  yet  fifty  years 
old.  Its  founder  is  Dr.  Albert  Xapper.  He  it  was  who 
opened  the  first  so-called  Cottage  Hospital  in  1855  in 
Crainleigh,  England,  and,  as  far  as  we  can  learn,  these 
hospitals  are  provided  in  most  of  the  villages  and  smaller 
cities  of  the  United  Kingdom,  altogether,  perhaps,  to  the 
number  of  three  hundred.  These  hospitals,  which  generally 
have  from  five  to  ten  beds,  and  each  of  which  is  superin- 
tended by  a  trained  nurse,  have  so  far  been  very  success- 
ful. In  their  establishment  a  number  of  women  are  wont 
to  meet,  organizing  a  society,  renting  a  house,  and  drawing 
to  their  assistance  the  physicians  of  the  locality.  Expenses 
are  covered  by  voluntary  contributions ;  the  poor  are  served 


512        llisronv  of  the  Deacon kss  Movement. 

without  compensation,  while  those  of  means  pay  an  appro- 
priate sum  for  the  service.  Patients  who  wish  to  enter 
must   present   a   certificate   signed   by   a   member   of   the 


Ir^uncler  (^  IdCageJ^pLtaL 


Woman's  Committee  and  by  a  physician,  but  this  is  not 
necessary  in  cases  of  accident.  A  patient  who  has  the 
means  may  select  his  own  physician;  but,  if  not,  he  is 
served  by  the  hospital  physician.     We  are  enabled  to  pre- 


The  Hospital.  513 

sent  in  these  jDages  a  picture  of  the  founder  of  this  kind 
of  hospitals,  and  also  of  the  first  Cottage  Hospital  in  Eng- 
land. It  is  built  in  the  old  English  Surrey  style  of  archi- 
tecture, and  the  entire  appointments  cost  only  $250.  Mr. 
Napper  laid  down  the  following  rules  for  the  management, 
of  these  hospitals : 

1.  The  management  shall  be  in  the  hands  of  a  trained 
nurse,  who  lives  in  the  house,  free  of  rent,  but  provides  the 
furniture  for  her  room  herself.  She  shall  receive  com- 
pensation for  any  service  she  may  render  the  hospital. 

2.  If  her  services  are  not  required  at  the  hospital,  she 
shall  be  allowed  to  serve  poor  lying-in  women  at  their  own 
houses. 

3.  Patients  at  the  hospital  shall  be  provided  with  all 
necessaries,  with  the  exception  of  clothes.  No  patient  shall 
be  allowed  to  accept  food  or  drink  from  any  one  without 
consent  of  the  physician. 

4.  Care  should  be  taken  that  the  hospital  does  not  lose 
the  character  of  a  home ;  it  should,  therefore,  not  look  like 
a  barracks,  and  the  surroundings,  as  well  as  the  rooms, 
should  make  a  friendly  and  cheerful  impression. 

Mr.  Henry  C.  Burdett  wrote  an  interesting  book  on 
the  subject,  entitled  "Cottage  Hospitals,"  which  was  pub- 
lished in  1880.  It  gives  all  manner  of  information  on  this 
new  system  of  nursing,  which  redounds  especially  to  the 
profit  of  inhabitants  of  villages  and  smaller  cities  where 
hitherto  hospitals  were  unknown  and  where  a  larger  hos- 
pital would  not  be  profitable. 

This  plan  also  found  favor  in  the  United  States,  and 
in  January,  1875,  the  first  Cottage  Hospital  was  opened 
in  Pittsfield,  Mass.  It  was  given  the  beautiful  name  of 
"House  of  Mercy."  The  architect  made  a  special  trip  to 
England,  studied  the  system  in  vogue  there,  and  then 
planned  the  "House  of  Mercy"  according  to  the  English 
33 


514        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

model.  The  undertaking  arose  from  a  Committee  of 
Women,  who,  by  means  of  a  Hospital  Bazaar  and  collec- 
tions, had  gathered  $5,000  for  this  purpose,  and  put  the 
sum  out  on  interest,  the  income  of  which  went  to  pay  the 
house-rent.  The  appointments  were  also  paid  for  by  volun- 
tary subscriptions.  A  house  was  opened  on  an  open  free 
site,  which  offered  room  for  from  eight  to  ten  beds,  and 
furnished  it  in  a  manner  that  preserved  the  character  of 
a  home.  The  management  of  the  hospital  was  placed  in 
the  hands  of  a  trained  nurse,  the  several  physicians  of  the 
city  were  constituted  the  medical  staff,  and  the  responsible 
Board  of  Managers  was  constituted  in  a  committee  con- 
sisting of  twenty-one  women  belonging  to  the  seven  dif- 
ferent Protestant  congregations  of  the  city.  The  first 
three  years  sixty  patients  were  nursed,  and  in  the  third 
year  they  were  able  to  fit  up  their  own  building,  in  which 
there  was  room  for  thirteen  beds. 

The  Cottage  System  found  general  favor  in  the  New 
England  States,  and  its  hospitals  were  erected  in  many  of 
the  villages  and  smaller  cities.  As  soon  as  the  plan  shall 
have  been  rightly  understood,  its  general  adoption  may  be 
counted  upon  in  all  parts  of  our  great  country.  Their 
management  will  principally  and  finally  altogether  be  laid 
very  probably  in  the  hands  of  deaconesses. 

3.  Tpie  Medical  College  Hospital. 

In  our  times  no  medical  college  is  successful  if  it  is 
not  connected  with  some  hospital  or  itself  controls  a  hos- 
pital. On  this  account  the  medical  colleges,  wherever  con- 
nection with  existing  hospitals  is  impossible,  have  founded 
their  own  hospitals.  Especially  do  such  hospitals  as  are 
connected  with  a  State  University  enjoy  a  high  reputation. 


The  Hospital.  515 


4.  The  Military  Hospital. 

War  times  have  contributed  much  to  propagate  the  hos- 
pital idea.  Formerly  most  of  the  wounded  died  because 
they  lacked  sufficient  nursing.  In  the  Crimean  War,  be- 
fore Florence  N^ightingale  arrived  with  her  nurses  in  the 
field  hospitals,  the  mortality  amounted  to  fifty-two  per 
cent.  Out  of  every  five  patients  who  were  obliged  to 
undergo  an  amputation  four  died  of  liospital  fever.  Here, 
too,  Florence  Nightingale,  with  her  nurses,  as  afterward  the 
deaconesses  and  the  related  Sisters  of  the  Red  Cross,  per- 
formed extraordinary  things.  The  first  military  hospital 
is  said  to  have  been  erected  by  Gustavus  Adolphus,  of 
Sweden,  in  the  seventeenth  century.  George  Washington 
busied  himself  much  with  this  thought ;  but  it  did  nol?  re- 
sult in  anything  of  moment  until,  in  the  middle  of  the 
last  century,  endeavors  were  made  to  improve  the  hospital 
in  general. 

5.  The  Hospital  which  Owes  Its  Establishment  and 
Maintenance  to  Private  Benevolence. 

A  model  of  these  hospitals,  which  are  counted  in  Amer- 
ica by  the  Imndreds,  is  the  Johns  Hopkins  Hospital,  in 
Baltimore.  Johns  Hopkins,  a  wealthy  citizen,  made  a 
donation  of  several  millions  of  dollars,  and  appointed  a 
Board  of  Managers  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  university, 
an  orphan  asylum,  and  a  hospital.  The  hospital  was  built 
on  a  most  beautiful  site,  on  a  large  tract  of  land  of  four- 
teen acres,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city,  according  to  entirely 
new  plans.  The  Board  of  Managers  had  mainly  engaged 
the  services  of  six  professional  men,  who,  independently  of 
each  other,  were  to  set  to  work  upon  a  plan  for  a  modern 
nospital.  They  endeavored  to  utilize  the  experiences  of 
centuries  and  to  consider  in  every  detail  the  progress  made 


516        History  oe  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

in  the  realm  of  health-nursing.  When  the  hospital  was 
finished,  it  served  as  a  model  for  every  other  hospital  in 
the  country  in  contemplation  of  erection.  But  it  is  this 
no  longer  to-day.  At  other  places  endeavors  were  made  to 
avoid  mistakes,  and  thus  it  succeeded  in  building  hospitals 
which  far  surpass  even  the  John  Hopkins  plan. 

6.  The  Church  Hospital. 

In  the  lead  of  all  other  denominations  in  this  respect 
is  the  Catholic  Church.  In  the  United  States  there  is 
scarcely  a  city  of  more  than  thirty  thousand  inhabitants 
that  does  not  possess  a  Catholic  hospital,  managed  by 
nuns  or  Sisters  of  Charity.  The  Catholic  Church  has 
thereby  gained  the  favor  of  the  general  public,  and  their 
Sisters  of  Charity  have  not  only  become  servants,  but  also 
pioneers  of  the'  Church.  Fifty  thousand  of  these  Sisters 
of  Charity  are  active  in  the  United  States;  they  give  in- 
struction to  six  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  children 
and  young  people,  and  do  service  in  six  hundred  and  ninety- 
five  different  charitable  institutions;  that  is,  in  hospitals. 
Homes  for  the  Aged,  industrial  schools,  educational  insti- 
tutions, and  asylums  of  the  most  varied  character.  The 
Catholic  Church  has  in  the  United  States  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  hospitals,  and  almost  every  year  some  new  ones 
are  added  to  this  number.  The  Sisters  of  the  Good  Shep- 
herd in  the  State  of  Indiana  have  resolved  not  to  rest  until 
in  every  city  of  that  State  counting  ten  thousand  or  more 
inhabitants  a  Catholic  hospital  shall  have  been  erected. 
The  Protestant  Church  has  missed  a  great  deal  in  this 
direction,  and  her  efforts  in  the  construction  of  hospitals 
are  of  later  date.  The  first  great  and  well-patterned  Prot- 
estant hospital,  "The  Episcopalian  Hospital,^'  was  erected 
in  1860,  in  Philadelphia.  Some  years  previous,  St.  Luke's 
Hospital,  in  New  York,  had  been  established.     The  Pres- 


The  Hospital. 


517 


byterian  Church  later  followed  this  example,  and  to-day 
most  of  the  greater  Protestant  denominations  have  made  a 
small  but  highly  promising  beginning  in  this   direction. 


Rev.  J.  M.  Buckley,  D.  D. 


The  Methodist  Episcopal  C-hurch  opened  its  first  hospital 
in  the  United  States  in  1887,  and  since  then  has  built 
twenty-five   hospitals.      In   the   following  we   are   free  to 


518        History  of  the  Deaconpjss  Movement. 

point  out  two  of  the  most  prominent  hospitals  of  this 
Church. 

"The  Methodist  Episcopal  Hospital  in  New  York." — 
This  well-modeled  hospital  was  opened  December  15,  1887, 
in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  Its  preliminary  history  is  exceedingly 
interesting.  Dr.  J.  M.  Buckley,  editor  of  The  Christian 
Advocate,  New  York,  in  an  article,  January  27,  1881,  en- 
titled "Methodism  and  its  Charitable  Institutions,"  calls 
attention  to  the  inexcusable  neglect  of  his  Church  in  this 
direction.     Says  he: 

"It  was  stated  that  St.  Luke's  Protestant  Episcopal 
Hospital  had  treated  eight  hundred  and  eighty-three  Meth- 
odists, and  the  Presbyterian  Hospital,  during  the  preceding 
year,  thirty-four  of  that  denomination." 

The  closing  sentences  of  that  editorial  were : 

"We  have  built  churches  for  ourselves  and  our  families. 
Would  it  not  be  well  for  us  soon  to  build  something  for  all 
mankind  ?  Shall  Eomanism  seem  to  be  truer  to  the  benevo- 
lent side  of  the  gospel  than  we  are  ? 

"The  time  has  come  when  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  should  turn  its  attention  to  providing  charitable 
institutions.  It  is  to-day  without  a  hospital,  a  bed  in  a 
hospital,  a  dispensary,  etc.  .  .  .  We  are  far  behind 
other  leading  Protestant  Churches  in  respect  to  charitable 
institutions.  Now  that  we  have  supplied  ourselves  with 
schools,  colleges,  theological  seminaries.  Missionary,  Church 
Extension,  and  Freedmen's  Aid  Societies,  is  it  not  time 
that  somewhere  we  build  an  asylum  or  a  hospital  ?" 

The  effect  of  this  article  was  that  the  New  York  banker, 
Mr.  George  I.  Seney,  offered  to  give  $300,000  towards  the 
erection  of  a  hospital.  Several  days  later  he  doubled  this 
sum,  and  before  the  building  was  finished  he  had  paid  out 
$410,000  in  cash. 


520 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


Mr.  George  I.  Seney  was  born  May  12,  1826^  in  Astoria, 
Long  Island.  He  was  descended  from  a  noble  Maryland 
family,  and  bis  ancestors  took  a  prominent  position  in 
Church  and  State.  His  father,  Robert  Seney,  was  a 
gifted  and  prominent  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.     George  I.  Seney  was  given  a  thorough  education, 

and  afterwards  he  en- 
tered a  New  York 
banking  house.  For 
thirty  years  he  was 
connected  with  the 
Metropolitan  Bank, 
first  as  assistant 
cashier,  then  as 
cashier,  and  finally  as 
president.  By  wise 
investments  he  a  c- 
quired  a  large  for- 
tune, and  meanwhile 
assisted  in  a  quiet 
way  poor  Churches, 
indigent  preachers, 
and  students  and 
charitable  institutions 
of  all  kinds.  The 
Wesleyan  University 
at  Middletown,  Conn.,  received  from  him  half  a  million  of 
dollars,  the  Education  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  $250,000,  the  Historical  Society  of  Long  Island 
$125,000,  the  Brooklyn  Eye  and  Ear  Clinic  $25,000,  and 
to  the  support  and  erection  of  churches  he  gave,  in  greater 
and  smaller  sums,  not  less  than  three-quarters  of  a  million 
of  dollars.  After  paying  out  $410,000  for  the  new  hos- 
pital, he  said:  "No  money  that  I  have  ever  given  affords 


GEORWE    1.   CsKNEY. 


The  Hospital.  521 

me  so  much  satisfaction  and  so  much  pleasure  as  the  gift 
for  this  hospital."  He  was  a  man  of  extraordinary  mental 
faculties,  being  possessed  of  quick  powers  of  conception 
and  keen  observation,  and  in  important  moments  his  de- 
cision was  instantaneous.  At  the  same  time  he  had  a 
tenderness  of  feeling  which  is  seldom  found  in  business 
men  of  his  character.  He  was  by  nature  of  a  very  retired 
disposition,  modest  in  his  intercourse,  and,  on  principle, 
avoided  every  kind  of  public  recognition.  He  possessed 
a  thorough  religious  experience,  using  the  means  of  grace 
conscientiously,  and  his  devout  life  was  a  model  for  all 
around  him. 

The  hospital  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  institutions 
of  the  Eastern  metropolis.  The  center  building  has  a 
frontage  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  and  a  depth  of  more 
than  one  hundred  feet.  The  main  entrance  is  really  mag- 
nificent, and.  the  structure  itself  soars  in  an  imposing  man- 
ner above  the  surrounding  sea  of  houses.  The  two  great 
wings  which  arise  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  main  build- 
ing are  connected  with  it  by  means  of  corridors,  and  the 
arrangement  and  appointments  leave  nothing  to  be  desired. 
The  center  building  is  not  yet  finished;  that  is,  as  to  the 
inner  arrangement  and  furnishing.  The  space  of  an  en- 
tire quarter  block  of  houses  belongs  to  the  hospital,  and  it 
lies  in  one  of  the  best  quarters  of  the  city  of  Brooklyn, 
only  a  few  hundred  feet  away  from  beautiful  Prospect 
Park  and  a  short  distance  from  New  York  Bay.  A  view 
of  the  great  expanse  of  waters  may  be  had  from  the  win- 
dows of  the  hospital.  The  property  is  valued  at  $800,000, 
has  a  permanent  fund  of  $200,000,  and  some  $60,00.0  more 
are  needed  to  fit  up  and  finish  the  central  building.  Dur- 
ing the  past  year  in  the  hospital  and  dispensary  connected 
therewith  16,885  persons  received  medical  treatment.  The 
hospital  has  also  a  training-school  for  nurses,  and  it  is  ex- 


522 


IIlSTOKY    OF     THE    DeACONESS    MOVEMENT. 


l)ected  that  in  the  not  far  distant  future  a  Deaconess  In- 
stitution will  take  the  place  of  the  training-school. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Hospital,  Philadelphia. — 
Dr.  Scott  Stewart,  a  wealthy  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  Philadelphia,  who  died  in  1881,  be- 
queathed a  large  sum  of  money  for  the  founding  of  a  model 
hospital.  For  this  purpose  a  Hospital  Society  was  organ- 
ized, which  received  incor- 
poration rights  February 
14,  1885;  but  not  until 
April  21,  1892,  could  the 
handsome  hospital  build- 
ing be  thrown  open  to  the 
public.  The  structure  is 
located  in  one  of  the  great 
suburbs  of  Philadelphia 
and  on  one  of  the  best- 
known  streets  of  the  city, 
and  we  present  a  view  of  it 
in  the  accompanying  pic- 
ture. The  entire  property 
is  valued  at  $600,000. 
That  the  hospital  has  a 
cosmopolitan  character  is 
demonstrated  from  the  fact  that,  during  the  past  year, 
patients  from  twenty-two  different  States  were  received  and 
nursed  within  its  walls.  In  the  associated  dispensary  over 
five  thousand  patients  received  advice  and  medicine  dur- 
ing the  past  year.  Dr.  0.  R.  Edwards  is  superintendent 
of  the  institution.  The  training-school  for  nurses  con- 
nected with  the  hospital  is  in  a  flourishing  condition. 
Voluntary  contributions  mainly  support  the  charity  work. 
No  appropriation  of  public  money  is  received.  The  total 
disbursements  in  1902  were  $66,448.67. 


Dr.  Soott  Stewart. 


524        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


7.  The  Deaconess  Hospital. 

If  by  the  establishment  of  numerous  Ecclesiastical  Hos- 
pitals a  new  epoch  has  been  introduced  in  the  Church  of 
the  present  day  and  the  nursing  of  the  sick  has  been  -put 
in  a  hitherto  unknown  way  in  the  service  of  the  Christian, 
that  is  the  Protestant,  Church,  we  account  this  to  be  one 
of  the  pleasurable  signs  of  the  times.  However,  we  do  be- 
lieve that  the  Church  hospital  will  in  the  near  future  be 
dissolved  in  the  Deaconess  Hospital.  The  difference  be- 
tween them  is  not  always  understood.  It  lies  neither  in  the 
arrangement  nor  in  the  management,  but  solely  in  the 
nursing  personalities.  In  Church  hospitals  the  nursing 
of  the  sick  is  performed  by  persons — principally  Christian 
young  women,  who  learn  the  duties  of  their  calling  chiefly 
with  regard  to  their  future  vocation.  They  finish  a  three 
years'  course,  and  then  devote  themselves  to  a  well-paid 
private  nursing  of  the  sick.  In  the  Deaconess  Hospital, 
on  the  contrary,  the  Sisters  attend  the  service  of  the  sick, 
not  for  wages,  but  for  Jesus'  sake,  and  they  devote  their 
lives  to  the  work  joyfully.  They  are  in  the  service  of  the 
Church,  and,  besides  their  inner  conviction,  they  have  the 
godly  calling  for  the  office.  Their  mission  in  the  first 
place  is  the  bodily  care  of  the  sick.  To  this  end  they  re- 
quire a  thorough  training,  natural  endowment,  and  good 
health,  but,  above  all,  a  love  for  their  vocation  and  a  heart 
that  burns  with  love  for  the  Savior.  But  the  deaconess 
knows  that,  in  connection  with  the  bodily  service,  she  has 
the  right  and  duty  to  care  for  the  soul.  When  a  man  lies 
on  the  sick-bed  he  is  generally  more  receptive  than  in  his 
healthy  days,  and  then  a  nurse  who  has  experienced  the 
mercy  of  God  in  her  own  heart  may  well  exercise  mercy  and 
testify  concerning  the  Divine  Helper.  Experience  teaches 
that  convalescents  in  many  cases  may  be  'dismissed,  cured 


The  HosriTxiL.  525 

in  body  and  soul.  The  ideal  hospital  is,  therefore,  and 
will  remain,  the  Deaconess  Hospital,  and  if  by  degrees 
the  Church  Hospital  is  absorbed  by  it,  this  is  by  no 
means  to  be  regretted.  The  deaconess  will  be  able  to  ac- 
complish greater  things  in  the  service  of  the  sick  than  the 
professional  nurse  could  have  done.  We  can  only  express 
the  wish  that  the  Deaconess  Hospital  may  be  developed 
to  even  greater  perfection,  and  may  soon  be  able  to 
overshadow  all  other  hospitals.  In  the  United  States  dur- 
ing the  past  fifteen  years  nearly  fifty,  and  among  these 
a  number  of  really  important  Deaconess  Hospitals,  have 
been  erected.  In  some  instances  these  are  Mother  Houses 
fashioned  after  the  German  model.  And  yet  this  is  but 
the  beginning.  If  in  this  country  an  idea  has  been  rightly 
conceived  and  the  matter  once  undertaken,  one  may  rest 
assured  that  it  will  be  carried  out  with  enthusiasm.  And 
there  is  no  lack  of  the  necessary  means.  May  the  love  of 
God  ever  remain  the  incentive,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  the 
Leader ! 


APPENDIX. 

.        ESSAYS,  ADDRESSES,  AND  STATISTICS. 

The   Woman   Question   in   the   Light   of   the   New 
Testament. 

C.    GOLDER. 

The  Woman  Question  has  become  a  leading  topic  of 
the  times.  Though  it  were  granted  that  more  than  what 
is  seemly  has  been  conceded  to  her  domain,  there  remains 
enough  to  justify  a  full  consideration  of  the  question;  for 
with  the  antiquated  saying,  "Women  ought  to  remain  at 
home/^  they  can  no  longer  be  cut  short.  And  just  because 
woman  must  find  her  true  vocation  in  the  household,  and 
because  this  condition  is  no  longer  possible  for  thousands 
of  them,  it  is  evident  that  we  no  longer  have  to  deal  with 
an  emergency  only,  but  also  with  a  serious  social  danger. 
The  danger  lies  in  woman's  emancipation  desires,  growing 
out  of  the  changed  conditions  which  industrial  progress 
has  made  opportune.  Christians  of  modern  times  must 
seek  the  right  path  with  wisdom  and  love,  and  be  careful 
to  lead  this  movement  into  Scriptural  lines ;  otherwise  dis- 
aster will  arise  from  it  to  our  Nation,  and  more  especially 
to  our  women.  Many  gifted  and  influential  women  both 
in  Europe  and  America  have,  from  the  beginning,  allowed 
themselves  to  be  carried  into  devious  paths  by  the  Woman's 
Rights  Movement.  They  request  equal  rights  with  men 
in  the  State  and  the  Church,  and  not  infrequently  there  are 
those  who  even  peremptorily  demand  woman's  ordination  to 
the  office  of  the  ministry.  In  this  connection  the  apostles 
are  arraigned ;  the  Scriptures  bearing  upon  the  position  of 

526 


Appendix.  527 

woman  are  no  longer  considered  inspired,  or  at  least  it  is 
believed  that  the  views  of  Peter  and  Paul  are  not  entitled 
to  any  lasting  sanction  of  woman's  position.     In  his  well- 
known  treatise,  "Woman's  Vocation,"  Professor  John  Weiss 
writes :  "The  apostles  stand  with  one  foot  on  the  old  con- 
ception of  things,  and  with  the  other  on  the  moral,  re- 
ligious, and  social  equality  of  woman.     As  the  views  of 
the  apostles  have  outlived  themselves  in  the  slavery  ques- 
tion, so  they  have  also  in  the  woman's  question.''     Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Mallet,  who  has  exceptionally  distinguished  her- 
self in  the  emancipation  doctrine,  charges  the   Christian 
Church  with  having  neglected  to  carry  out  the  Biblical 
principle  in  regard  to  women  and  to  the  present  day  being 
in  the  way  of  woman's  endeavors  and  not  yet  understanding 
her  mission.     The  most  prominent  American  champion  of 
the  Emancipation  Doctrine,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Cady  Stanton, 
says  that  the  promise  of  woman  at  the  marriage  altar,  to 
be  obedient  to  the  man,  is  an  antiquated  relic  of  those 
days  when  women  were  yet  the  slaves  and  pack-horses  of 
men.     She  can  not  understand  how  preachers  may  still 
appeal  to  the  saying  of  the  apostles  as  if  wliat  was  proper 
and  adequate  at  that  time  could  also  adapt  itself  to  the 
very  much  changed  conditions  of  the  present.    It  is  on  this 
account,  she  reasons,  that  they  must  go  back  to  the  history 
of  the  creation  to  find  an  argument  for  the  unwarranted 
and  unchristian  position  in  which  they  endeavor  to  place 
woman.     She  then  continues,  verbatim  : 

"So  long  as  we  assign  to  woman  an  inferior  position 
in  the  scale  of  being,  emphasize  the  fal)les  of  her  creation 
as  an  afterthought,  the  guilty  factor  in  the  fall  of  man, 
cursed  of  God  in  her  maternity,  a  marplot  in  tlie  life  of 
a  Solomon  or  a  Samson,  unfit  to  stand  in  the  'Holy  of 
Holies,'  in  the  cathedrals,  to  take  a  seat  as  a  delegate  in 
a  Synod,  General  Assembly,  or  Conference,  to  be  ordained 


528        History  oe  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

to  preach  the  gospel  or  administer  the  sacraments — the 
Church  and  the  Bible  make  woman  the  football  for  all  the 
gibes  and  jeers  of  the  multitude.  .  .  .  The  sentiments 
of  men  in  high  places  are  responsible  for  the  outrages  of 
the  lower  orders  in  the  haunts  of  vice  and  on  the  highways ; 
when,  in  their  marriage  service,  woman  must  promise 
to  obey,  she  is  made  the  inferior  and  subject  of  the  man 
she  marries;  when  the  following  passages  of  Scripture  are 
read  from  the  pulpit  they  make  woman  the  mere  football 
of  man's  lust.  .  .  .  All  our  efforts  to  suppress  pros- 
titution are  hopeless  until  woman  is  recognized  in  the  canon 
law  and  all  Church  discipline  as  equal  in  goodness,  grace, 
and  dignity  with  bishops,  archbishops,  yea,  the  pope  him- 
self. We  must  have  expurgated  editions  of  canon  and  civil 
law,  of  Bibles,  catechisms,  creeds,  codes,  and  constitutions, 
and  of  Paul's  toilet  directions  as  to  covered  heads,  long 
hair,  and  sitting  in  silence  and  subjugation,  hanging  on 
man's  lips  for  inspiration  and  wisdom.  The  chaotic  con- 
ditions of  society  can  never  become  harmonious  until  the 
masculine  and  feminine  elements  are  in  perfect  equili- 
brium." 

Mrs.  Stanton  makes  no  equivocation  in  holding  the 
Christian  religion  responsible  for  the  unhappy  marital  con- 
ditions of  the  present  day.  She  calls  upon  society  to  disre- 
gard in  its  path  the  ancient  views  of  the  apostles  in  regard 
to  the  position  of  woman,  to  educate  the  wife  to  a  greater 
self-respect,  and  to  instill  into  the  coming  generation  a 
wider  measure  of  appreciation  for  the  mother.  In  her 
opinion,  the  world  will  only  then  become  better  when 
woman  shall  have  been  allowed  equal  rights  with  man. 

This  reference  shows  the  drift  of  things  from  such  a 
point  of  view.  In  order  to  emancipate  woman,  one  must 
first  divorce  himself  from  the  Word  of  God.  Leaders  of 
the  movement  in  question  boldly  maintain  that  the  solution 


Appendix.  529 

of  the  woman's  problem  finds  no  encouragement  either  in 
the  history  or  practice  of  the  Church.  In  this  connection 
it  ought  to  be  clear  that  no  one  may  leave  the  ground  of 
apostolic  authority  without  being  obliged  to  abandon  the 
whole  Bible  as  the  inspired  Word  of  God.  Just  so  soon 
as  we  betake  ourselves  to  the  treacherous  quicksands  of 
subjective  feelings  and  human  conceptions,  and  hold  that 
the  inspired  writers  may  have  erred  on  one  question,  we 
must  grant  that  the  authority  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  may 
not  be  decisive  in  others.  The  talented  leader  of  the  Amer- 
ican Emancipation  Movement— Elizabeth  Cady  Stanton — 
grasped  this  phase  very  well,  and  consequently  undertook  a 
new  translation  of  the  Bible.  Her  object  was  to  publish 
a  so-called  "Woman's  Bible,"  in  which  the  offensive  pas- 
sages were  to  be  expurged  or  so  modified  as  to  fit  into  her 
theories. 

The  Scriptures,  and  especially  the  apostolic  writings,  it 
is  true,  are  not  a  codex  of  laws ;  and  the  Church  of  Christ, 
which  knows  the  mind  of  her  Founder  and  possesses  his 
spirit,  will  not  be  a  slave  to  their  literal  sense.  The  changed 
customs  of  to-day  are  proof  that  an  easy  distinction  was 
made  between  the  permanent  and  accidental  things,  be- 
tween the  spirit  and  the  flesh ;  but  it  nevertheless  remains 
true  that  when  the  Church  let  go  the  accidentals,  she  ad- 
hered with  unyielding  tenacity  to  the  apostolic  fundamental 
idea  of  the  position  and  vocation  of  woman.  The  eternal 
fundamental  laws  of  the  kingdom  of  God  are  laid  down  in 
the  Scriptures,  and  there  must  be  no  tampering  with  their 
inviolate  force.  Rev.  Mr.  Zoellner,  of  Kaiserswerth,  in  his 
able  lecture  on  "The  Modern  Woman's  Movement  and  the 
Deaconess  Mother  Houses,"  very  truly  remarks:  "The 
Woman's  Movement  can  not  be  led  into  different  channels 
by  believing  that  in  this  important  particular  the  Word 
of  God  is  not  an  unconditional  authority.  Compromises 
34 


530        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

made  at  such  a  price  will  not  only  serve  to  commit  our- 
selves, but  to  undermine  our  safeguards.  There  could  be 
nothing  more  fatal  to  the  Woman's  Movement  than  if  its 
leaders  depreciated  the  leading  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the 
utterances  of  the  apostles.  For  the  very  sake  of  woman 
it  is  important  to  adhere  to  this  authority  unyieldingly, 
and  to  oppose  all  intemperate  striving  after  a  false  inde- 
pendence, and  not  cease  repeating  that  the  authority  of  the 
Scriptures  is  the  foundation  of  the  whole  structure,  erected 
for  the  protection  of  woman." 

Woman  can  no  more  be  emancipated  from  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  than  from  the 
eternal  laws  of  nature.  Like  all  organisms,  so  is  also  hu- 
man kind  divided  into  the  male  and  female  sex,  making 
up  two  different  forms  attracting  and  complementing  each 
other.  This  is  a  law  revealing  itself  in  the  entire  creation, 
and  it  can  not  be  pushed  aside  by  the  emancij)ation  projects 
of  the  present  day,  nor  by  speeches  and  resolutions  or  regu- 
lations and  fabricated  ordinances.  The  history  of  the  crea- 
tion tells  us,  "And  God  created  man.  and  woman."  Sex 
is  therefore  not  an  accident,  but  an  element  underlying  the 
entire  nature  of  man.  If  a  man  is  truly  a  man  and  pos- 
sesses the  manly  qualities  in  the  fullest  sense,  he  will  in 
every  respect  be  distinguished  from  the  woman;  and  if  we 
will  investigate  the  difference  of  sex,  we  will  find  that  it 
lies  not  only  in  the  construction  of  the  body  and  the  ex- 
ternal appearance,  but  that  a  sharp  line  of  demarcation 
has  been  drawn  in  the  entire  composition  of  man.  It  is 
not  a  question  whether  the  woman  is  less  endowed,  for  she 
is  not,  but  she  is  differently  endowed,  and,  as  her  faculty 
lies  in  other  directions,  the  wise  Creator  has  assigned  to 
her  a  totally  distinct  mission.  The  Scriptures  show  us 
that  God  treats  the  sexes  in  entirely  different  ways.  He 
assigns  the  birth  and  training  of  the  Savior  of  the  worl^ 


Appendix.  531 

to  the  quiet  and  devout  Virgin  Mar}^,  unknown  to  fame; 
but  she  was  a  woman  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  word,  and 
God  ennobled  her  calling.  If  a  woman  would  honor  her 
sex,  she  must  remain  womanly.  JSTo  sooner  does  she  at- 
tempt to  confound  the  differences  of  sex  and  allow  but  the 
distinction  of  bodily  formation  than  she  lowers  herself  in 
the  estimation  of  man,  and  revolts  against  the  law  of  crea- 
tion which  reads,  "Each  one  after  his  kind."  A  recent 
writer*  characterizes  this  distinction  very  beautifully  and 
truthfully  as  follows : 

"Woman  is  more  concrete,  man  more  abstract;  woman 
exceptionally  intuitive,  man  deductive;  woman  has 
thoughts,  man  ideas;  woman  is  more  impulsive,  man  more 
logical;  womanworks  more  with  nerves,  man  more  with 
muscle,  as  they  betray  themselves  in  overexertion.  Indeed, 
the  entire  corpception  of  the  world  is  different  in  the  sexes. 
Woman  observes  differently,  feels  differently,  and  gives  an 
entirely  different  expression  to  her  thoughts.  One  might 
almost  say,  she  is  differently  bad  and  differently  good.  She 
loves  differently,  and  hates  differently;  for  God  arranged 
the  world  beautifully  and  opportunely  by  the  creation  of 
woman,  thus  dividing  mankind  into  harmoniously  related 
halves.  The  one  is  to  do,  the  other  to  be ;  the  one  to  speak, 
the  other  to  listen;  the  one  to  lead,  the  other  to  follow; 
the  one  to  invent,  the  other  to  use ;  the  one  to  advance,  the 
other  to  wait;  the  one  to  plant,  the  other  to  cultivate  and 
water  the  fruits  and  flowers;  the  one  to  build  the  house, 
the  other  to  adorn  it  with  beauty.  As  men  we  are  to  pro- 
tect the  gift  of  our  children,  and  with  God's  help  provide 
for  their  future ;  our  wives  will  rear  them  to  maturity  upon 
their  laps.  Women,  too,  have  great  tasks  to  perform,  and 
it  means  much  for  them  to  look  after  the  family,  to  nurse 


*  "Nature  and  Law,"  by  F.  Bettex.    (Velhagen  &  Klasslng,  Biele- 
feld and  Leipslc.) 


532        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

them  in  the  sick-room,  to  study  out  the  problem  of  clothes 
and  linen,  to  care  for  meat  and  drink,  to  watch  at  the 
cradle,  and  to  be  ever  cheerful  and  patient  in  the  hundreds 
of  annoyances  that  in  the  household  are  of  daily  occur- 
rence." 

The  slogan  "Equality  of  Sex,"  which  the  Woman's 
Eights  champions  have  adopted,  is  a  contradiction  in  terms, 
since  sex  presupposes  inequality  and  difference.  He  who 
would  wipe  out  this  God-made  distinction,  or  abolish  it, 
would  make  man  a  woman,  and  woman  a  man.  Who  at- 
tempts it  fights  against  nature,  and  is  totally  ignorant  of 
the  particular  life  mission  of  both  sexes.  True,  the  late 
denomination,  "the  new  woman,"  is  entirely  agreeable  to 
this  view  of  things;  but  "the  new  woman"  is  not  the 
divinely-created  "Biblical  woman,"  to  whom  the  Creator 
has  assigned  a  vocation  for  which  she  is  fitted.  There  is 
in  the  present  Woman's  Movement  an  element  which  might 
be  properly  designated  "x\ndromania."  Many  women  have 
lost  the  womanly  ideal,  and  are  endeavoring  to  be  men. 
They  regard  as  their  greatest  triumphs  to  acquire  the  same 
rights  as  men  and  to  be  allowed  to  do  what  formerly  be- 
longed to  the  province  of  man  alone.  This  does  not  mean 
that  woman  is  to  be  barred  from  the  profession  of  law, 
medicine,  or  teaching  because  for  centuries  these  were-  prac- 
ticed exclusively  by  men.  But  when  it  is  assumed  that 
every  vocation  in  life  is  to  be  open  to  woman  on  the  ground 
that  in  all  things  she  has  equal  rights,  an  injustice  is  done 
her  sex.  This  position  is  just  as  wrong  as  that  ultra-con- 
servative opinion  which  maintains  that,  because  Hannah, 
the  mother  of  Samuel,  had  no  access  to  a  judicial  position, 
or  because  Phoebe,  the  first  deaconess,  was  not  allowed  to 
cast  her  vote,  these  same  conditions  should  prevail  at  the 
present  day.  In  both  cases  the  inference  is  wrong.  We 
totally  misapprehend  the  distinction  of  sex  and  the  designs 


Appendix.  533 

of  God  by  asking:  "If  a  man  is  entitled  to  this  and  that, 
why  not  the  woman?  If  the  son  has  chosen  this  vocation, 
why  not  the  daughter?  If  the  husbands  go  to  war,  why 
not  the  wives  ?"  The  Scriptures  give  to  us  an  entirely  dif- 
ferent idea  of  the  essence  of  woman,  and  show  us  how  the 
Creator  assigned  to  each  sex  a  particular  sphere  of  action. 
If  we  would  hold  more  to  the  Word  of  God,  the  woman 
question  would  be  less  complicated  and  easier  of  solution. 
It  appears  to  us  that  even  to-day,  after  a  lapse  of  six  thou- 
sand years,  man  does  not  yet  understand  the  essence  of 
woman,  and  it  would  also  seem  that  woman  has  not  yet 
learned  to  know  herself.  The  Bible  tells  us  that  all  re- 
forms must  begin  with  the  cradle,  and  that  in  the  family 
must  be  sought  the  foundation  of  all  temporal  happiness 
and  the  support  of  all  that  is  great  and  beautiful  and  noble 
on  earth.  The  family  is  society,  State,  and  Church  in 
embryo,  and  the  spirit  of  the  household,  its  happiness,  the 
progress  of  the  people,  the  hope  of  the  future,  and  the  pros- 
jjerity  of  the  Church,  all  depend  upon  the  queen  of  the 
house — the  mother.  The  mother,  sitting  at  the  cradle, 
makes  history,  and  her  hands  rule  the  world.  The  emanci- 
pation of  woman  can,  therefore,  only  lie  in  the  direction 
that  is  pointed  out  by  the  Scriptures.  The  so-called 
"emancipated  woman'^  forsakes  the  vocation  given  to  her 
by  the  Creator,  and  thereby  finally  abandons  herself  to  un- 
belief, as  is  abundantly  proved  by  the  example  of  Elizabeth 
Cady  Stanton  and  other  leaders  in  the  Woman's  Movement, 
conspicuously  the  socialistic  women  of  Europe. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  must  concede  with  regret  that 
the  Scriptures  in  reference  to  the  position  of  woman  have 
not  always  been  properly  understood  by  many  upright 
Christians,  nor  at  times  by  the  Church  herself.  Many  mis- 
takes and  errors  have  been  made,  and  the  selfishness  of  man 
has  taken  advantage  of  the  weaknesses  of  woman,  and  given 


534        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

her  humiliation.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  the  teaching 
of  the  Apostle  Paul  on  this  question  has  been  much  mis- 
understood. Less  than  a  century  ago  a  woman  making  a 
public  address  would  have  been  pelted  with  rotten  eggs. 
Woman  at  that  time  in  the  United  States  was  completely 
disfranchised.  Susan  B.  Anthony,  the  American  pioneer 
of  greater  woman's  rights,  found,  in  the  ^oO's  and  ^60's, 
churches  and  halls  closed  against  her,  because  the  preachers 
said,  "Women  ought  to  remain  at  home,"  and  the  apostle 
had  written,  '^'Let  the  women  be  silent  in  the  congregation." 
The  contest  against  slavery,  intemperance,  and  immorality 
was  carried  on  at  that  time  with  few  exceptions  by  men, 
and  every  effort  to  organize  the  women  into  a  campaign 
against  these  evils  failed.  For  six  years  Susan  B.  Anthony 
traversed  the  State  of  New  York  from  one  end  to  the 
other,  distributed  literature,  and  gave  public  lectures,  until 
she  finally  succeeded  in  influencing  the  Legislature  to  pass 
a  law  allowing  married  women  to  compel  payment  of  wages, 
and  after  the  death  of  their  husbands  to  act  as  guardians 
of  their  children.  Thirteen  times  the  petitions  of  women, 
presented  in  the  form  of  a  legislative  bill,  were  voted  down, 
until  they  finally  succeeded  in  having  laws  passed  in  a  few 
States  granting  women  greater  rights.  It  must  be  con- 
ceded, even  to-day,  that  much  injustice  is  done  woman,  and 
that  she  is  not  accorded  the  rights  vouchsafed  to  her  by 
the  Creator.  In  thirty-seven  States  of  the  Union  a  mother 
has  no  legal  rights  in  regard  to  her  children.  In  sixteen 
States  a  married  woman  can  not  make  any  claim  for  the 
payment  of  wages.  In  eight  States  a  woman  loses  all  right 
to  her  personal  property  as  soon  as  she  is  married.  These 
are  surely  insufferable  conditions,  and  the  Woman's  Move- 
ment is  not  only  justified,  but  will  have  its  hands  full,  to 
remove  these  evils.  But  when  it  holds  the  Scriptures  re- 
sponsible for  these  conditions,  it  commits  an  injustice ;  and 


Appendix.  535 

when  it  undermines  their  authority,  it  saws  off  the  limb 
of  its  support.  The  protection  of  woman  lies  in  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Bible,  which  alone  is  responsible  for  all  the 
progress  made,  and  which  alone  can  establish  the  true  and 
God-designed  relation  of  the  two  sexes. 

It  is  important  for  us  to  know  what  position  woman 
held  in  the  Church  in  the  days  of  Jesus  and  his  apostles 
in  order  to  be  able  to  solve  the  question  from  that  point 
of  view.  We  must,  therefore,  ask.  What  does  Jesus  teach, 
and  what  do  his  apostles  teach,  in  regard  to  the  position 
and  mission  of  woman? 

Let  us  first  direct  our  attention  to  the  attitude  of  Christ 
to  woman.  The  women  of  whom  the  Gospel  speaks  never 
abandoned  their  original  calling,  the  Savior  did  not  acquit 
the  wife  of  her  family  and  maternal  duties,  and  not  one 
of  them  was  raised  to  the  apostolic  office  of  preaching.  If 
to-day's  disciples  of  woman's  enumcipation  are  right,  Christ 
missed  a  good  deal.  He  should  have  selected  six  male  and 
six  female  apostles,  and  have  sent  out  not  only  seventy 
men,  but  seventy  women,  to  the  cities  and  villages  to  preach 
the  Word  of  the  kingdom.  It  is  strange  that  he  did  not 
even  intrust  an  office  of  any  kind  to  his  mother,  who  was 
with  him  until  his  death.  Salome  remained,  before  and 
after,  the  mother  of  tlie  children  of  Zebedee,  and  Mary  and 
Martha  of  Bethany  ruled  their  household  after  it  had  be- 
come the  joy  of  their  life  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  and 
serve  him  at  the  table.  Closely  as  the  women  held  them- 
selves to  the  Lord,  we  are  left  the  impression  that  they 
remained  within  the  boundaries  of  their  duties,  which  the 
natural  dispensation  of  God  had  assigned  to  woman.  From 
this  standpoint  the  Scriptures  follow  throughout  woman's 
further  sphere  of  usefulness  in  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Women  followed  Jesus  when  he  went  about  through  cities 
and  market-places,  "and  ministered  unto  him  of  their  sub- 


53G        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

stance/^  (Luke  viii,  1-3.)  Here  the  Lord  Jesus  indicated 
to  us  the  mission  of  woman.  It  is  the  vocation  of  minister- 
ing love.  This  vocation  he  ennobled,  and  therefore  is  the 
service  in  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord  the  most  secure  do- 
minion. 

A  modern  writer  says :  ^'It  may  be  said  that  woman 
by  the  ministration  of  love  has  become  a  ruler ;  she  governs 
not  by  means  of  the  law,  but- the  more  securely  and  uni- 
versally through  love.  She  has  thereby  accomplished  what 
never  could  have  been  done  by  the  male  world,  and  she 
justly  deserves  a  place  of  honor  in  the  grateful  remem- 
brance of  Christianity.  The  whole  history  of  woman  puts 
before  us  the  important  problem  how  her  confining  duties 
and  freedom,  her  domestic  restrictions  and  participation 
in  public  life  may  be  reconciled.  The  Old  World  at  last 
endeavored  to  break  down  the  barriers  behind  which  women 
formerly  kept  themselves;  but  woman  thereby  suffered 
moral  shipwreck.  The  Gospel  has  solved  the  question  and 
realized  the  unification  of  both  sexes  by  the  saving  mission 
which  it  gave  to  woman,  to  serve  the  kingdom  of  God  in 
the  narrowest  as  well  as  the  broadest  field  of  action.  .  .  . 
Nowhere  in  the  Scriptures  did  the  women  overstep  the 
boundaries  of  a  quiet  life.  The  few  exceptions  recorded  in 
the  Old  Testament  do  not  change  the  rule,  simply  because 
they  are  exceptions.  The  Savior  did  not  abolish  the  law  of 
obedience  laid  down  in  the  creation.  He  liberated  woman, 
for  ^there  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  there  is  neither  bond 
nor  free,  there  is  neither  male  nor  female:  for  ye  are  all 
one  in  Christ  Jesus.^  Although  the  Lord  counted  among 
his  laborers  as  many  women  as  men,  there  is  not  a  single 
instance  where  the  women  forsook  their  mission  of  min- 
istering love.  The  men  left  their  fishers'  nets  and  customs- 
bank.  The  Lord  made  no  demands  of  the  women.  The 
Savior  nowhere   changed  the  family  relation  established 


Appendix.  b^l 

by  the  creation,  and  the  apostles  themselves  did  not  abolish 
this  order  of  things.  As  the  dispensation  of  the  creation, 
so  also  did  the  attitude  of  Christ  and  his  apostles,  as  well 
as  the  entire  arrangement  of  the  apostolic  Church,  indicate 
that  the  mission  of  woman  lay  conspicuously  in  the  service 
of  self-denying  love.  Even  though  Christ  did  not  call  a 
woman  to  the  apostleship,  we  must  not  overlook  the  fact 
that  he  chose  a  woman  as  the  first  herald  of  his  resur- 
rection.^' 

Christ's  teaching  is  far  above  that  of  all  other  teachers 
of  mankind.  Buddha  forsook  outrageously  wife  and  child. 
Socrates  despised  his  wife,  and  treated  her  with  contempt. 
Mohammed  set  up  vile  teachings  in  regard  to  woman.  The 
true  dignity  and  mission  of  woman  M^ere  first  recognized 
when  Christ  came  into  the  world,  and  his  coming  in  this 
relation  had  an  epoch-making  force.  It  is  remarkable  and 
flatly  humiliating  that  the  teaching  of  Christ  on  this  ques- 
tion should  have  been  so  much  misunderstood,  and  that  this 
happens  so  frequently  at  the  present  day.  But  within  the 
past  twenty-five  years  more  changes  have  taken  place  in 
its  phases  than  during  the  entire  eighteen  hundred  years 
that  have  gone  before.  The  universal  recognition  of 
woman's  rights  is  one  of  the  most  momentous  facts  of 
modern  times.  It  is  difficult  adequately  to  comprehend  the 
gigantic  revolutions  that  have  been  brought  about  in  this 
domain  within  the  past  three  decades  of  years.  Woman 
to-day  may  in  the  spirit  of  the  Scriptures  unfold  a  blessed 
and  comprehensive  usefulness  in  most  secular  fields  as  well 
as  in  the  Church.     But  let  us  return  to  the  Scriptures. 

When  the  disciples  were  waiting  at  Jerusalem  for  the 
fulfillment  of  the  promise  of  the  Father,  they  "all  con- 
tinued with  one  accord  in  prayer  and  supplication  with  the 
women  and  Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus."  (Acts  i,  14.) 
Upon  the  subsequent  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Ghost  they 


538        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

also  received  of  his  fullness  with  the  apostles^  and  spoke 
in  different  tongues.  Later  we  read  of  the  four  daughters 
of  Philip  the  evangelist,  "virgins,  which  did  prophesy." 
By  this  "prophesying"  we  are  likely  not  to  understand 
teaching,  nor  the  expounding  of  the  Scriptures,  nor  preach- 
ing, but  rather  the  inspired  speech  of  exhortation  and  com- 
forting in  the  congregation.  We  call  to  mind  other  well- 
known  names,  such  as  Tabitha,  who  "was  full  of  good  works 
and  alms  deeds,"  mourned  by  many  to  whom  she  had  been 
a  caring  mother;  Phoebe,  the  deaconess  of  Corinth,  the 
nurse  of  Paul;  Priscilla,  the  friend  of  the  apostle  and  in- 
structress of  Apollo ;  Lydia,  the  hostess,  in  whose  house  the 
congregation  in  Philippi  was  gathered ;  and  numerous  other 
women  whose  names  are  mentioned  in  the  sixteenth  chap- 
ter of  the  Epistle  to  the  Eomans.  No  period  and  no  nation 
of  the  Old  World  presents  in  so  circumscribed  a  circle  so 
many  honored  women  as  the  initial  history  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  This  shows  what  a  new  and  higher  impor- 
tance was  imparted  to  woman  by  the  gospel,  not  only  for 
the  limited  circle  of  the  home,  but  for  the  wider  sphere 
of  congregations,  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  the  entire  moral 
world.  In  the  Pauline  letters  we  everywhere  meet-  with 
devout  and  gifted  women,  helpers  in  the  expansion  of  the 
Church  and  the  upbuilding  of  Christ's  realm. 

If  it  is  asked,  "What  did  the  apostles  teach  in  reference 
to  the  position  of  woman  in  the  Church  ?"  the  answer  must 
principally  be  found  in  two  passages  in  the  Epistles  of  Paul, 
which  are  continually  quoted,  and  which  have  been  the 
source  of  much  misunderstanding  and  difficulty.  Jesus 
never  uttered  a  word  himself  that  we  might  use  to  throw 
light  on  this  question,  and  we  are  therefore  restricted  to 
the  declarations  of  the  apostles,  particularly  those  of  Paul, 
which  must  be  explained  by  the  text  itself.  The  passages 
in  question  are  the  following :  "Let  your  women  keep  silence 


Appendix.  539 

in  the  churches :  for  it  is  not  permitted  unto  them  to  speak : 
but  they  are  commanded  to  be  under  obedience,  as  also 
saith  the  law.  And  if  they  will  learn  anything,  let  them 
ask  their  husbands  at  home :  for  it  is  a  shame  for  women 
to  speak  in  the  church.'^  (1  Cor.  xiv,  34,  35.)  "Let  the 
woman  learn  in  silence  with  all  subjection.  But  I  suffer 
not  a  woman  to  teach,  nor  to  usurp  authority  over  the 
man,  but  to  be  in  silence.  For  Adam  was  first  formed,  then 
Eve.  And  Adam  was  not  deceived,  but  the  woman  being 
deceived  was  in  the  transgression.  Notwithstanding  she 
shall  be  saved  in  child-bearing,  if  they  continue  in  faith 
and  charity  and  holiness  with  sobriety."  (1  Tim.  ii,  11- 
15.)  As  in  all  great  and  important  questions,  so  also  here, 
we  meet  with  two  extreme  positions  in  the  Scriptural  in- 
terpretation, and,  as  usual,  both  sides  are  in  the  wrong. 
The  ultra-conservative  side  maintains  that  silence  is  en- 
joined on  woman  at  all  times  and  in  all  conditions  and  in 
all  parts  of  the  world,  at  public  gatherings  in  which  men 
participate.  The  radical  side,  on  the  other  hand,  holds 
that  these  passages  do  not  suit  the  present  day,  that  times 
have  changed,  and  that  the  principles  laid  down  by  Paul 
have  become  antiquated.  Both  positions  are  untenable,  be- 
cause they  are  unscriptural.  Against  the  ultra-conservative 
view  in  question  is  arrayed  the  entire  Christian  civiliza- 
tion of  modern  times,  the  Eeformation,  and  the  strongest 
Protestant  denomination  in  the  United  States,  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  as  well  as  most  of  the  other  prom- 
inent religious  bodies.  Women  are  permitted,  for  instance, 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  to  pray  in  public,  to 
make  public  confession,  to  teach  in  the  Sabbath-school,  to 
make  public  addresses  at  mixed  gatherings,  to  perform 
the  functions  of  class-leader,  steward.  Sabbath-school 
superintendent,  and  trustee.  Again,  no  one  objects  to  their 
teaching  in  the  public  schools  and  higher  institutions  of 


540        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

learning,  and  to  labor  in  all  fields  of  home  and  foreign 
missions,  and  all  these  functions,  it  is  believed,  may  be 
reconciled  with  the  Scripture  passages  cited.  But  there 
is  danger  of  going  too  far  in  this  direction,  and  it  is  well 
to  take  warning.  The  radical  direction — and  here  we  are 
not  thinking  of  people  who  are  ready  to  forsake  the  ground 
of  the  Scriptures  or  unwilling  to  hold  tenaciously  to  God's 
Word,  but  of  devout  and  conscientious  men  and  women 
who  have  the  spread  of  the  Lord's  kingdom  at  heart — 
runs  danger  of  causing  irreparable  damage  to  the  woman 
question,  of  throwing  the  Scriptural  foundation  aside,  of 
disquieting  the  Church,  and  unintentionally  impairing  the 
divinely-designed  position  of  woman,  and  leading  it  into 
devious  paths.  It  is  no  wonder  that  this  position  is  con- 
stantly winning  more  followers,  especially  in  our  free  coun- 
try, in  which  the  democratic  spirit  completely  dominates 
the  mind.  But  we  must  take  warning  against  this  ten- 
dency quite  as  much  as  against  the  ultra-conservative, 
which  has  long  outlived  itself.  The  Biblical  position  and 
sound  sense  meet  each  other  in  the  middle.  Let  us  more 
closely  examine  the  two  Scriptural  texts. 

The  attempt  of  many  commentators  to  translate  the 
word  "speak"  and  "speak  in  the  church"  of  the  original 
text  as  "talking"  or  "chattering"  deserves  no  serious  at- 
tention. The  same  word  is  used  when  there  is  question 
of  God  and  the  angels  speaking.  Numerous  writers  have 
therefore  resorted  to  other  explanations,  seeking  to  bridge 
over  the  chasm  which  lies  between  the  word  of  the  apostle 
and  the  progressive  customs  of  the  present  day.  It  is 
hardly  necessary  to  enter  minutely  into  these  different  and 
in  part  strange  theories.  The  key  to  the  satisfactory  so- 
lution of  the  entire  question  lies  in  the  application  of  the 
recognized  method  of  clearly  and  definitely  distinguishing 
unchangeable    principles    from    changeable    customs.      A 


Appendix.  541 

philosophic,  moral,  or  Biblical  principle  knows  neither 
time  nor  place,  nor  can  it  be  changed  by  conditions;  but 
customs  may  change.  If  we  go  back  to  the  foundation 
and  source  of  a  thing,  we  have  a  principle ;  but  this  is  dis- 
tinct froui  its  concomitant  manners  and  customs.  Let  us 
apply  this  method  to  the  matter  in  question. 

The  Biblical  principle  in  regard  to  the  vocation  and. 
God-designed  position  of  woman  reads:  "They  are  com- 
manded to  be  under  obedience,  as  also  saith  the  law.^' 
(1  Cor.  xiv,  34.)  What  law?  The  principle  laid  down 
at  the  creation :  "And  thy  desire  shall  be  to  thy  husband, 
and  he  shall  rule  over  thee.^'  (Gen.  iii,  16.)  Paul  de- 
velops the  principle  of  subjection  from  the  beginning  of 
human  history,  and  points  to  the  double  reason:  "For 
Adam  was  first  formed,  then  Eve.  And  Adam  was  not 
deceived,  but  the  woman,  being  deceived,  was  in  the  trans- 
gression." (1  Tim.  ii,  13,  14.)  Because  man  was  created 
first  and  woman  first  fell,  these  are  the  Divine  grounds 
for  this  subjection:  "And  he  shall  rule  over  thee.''  But 
the  apostle  goes  still  further  in  his  investigation,  and 
reasons  from  away  before  the  fall.  He  says :  "For  a  man 
indeed  ought  not  to  cover  his  head,  forasmuch  as  he  is  the 
image  and  glory  of  God:  but  the  woman  is  the  glory  of 
the  man.  For  the  man  is  not  of  the  woman;  but  the 
woman  of  the  man.  Neither  w^as  the  man  created  for 
the  woman;  but  the  woman  for  the  man."  The  apostle 
shows  incontrovertiljly  that,  in  the  very  creation,  the  im- 
mutable principle  is  laid  down,  "And  the  head  of  the 
woman  is  man."  (1  Cor.  ii,  3.)  This  principle  was  es- 
tablished by  the  Creator  himself.  In  the  words,  "I  will 
make  him  an  help  meet  for  him"  (Gen.  ii,  18),  the  entire 
dispensation  of  the  creation  is  announced.  Here  we  have 
the  immovable  foundation  whence  the  further  boundaries 
within  which  woman's  activity  for  all  times  is  to  move 


542        HiSTouY  OF  THE  DE7IC0NESS  Movement. 

must  be  derived.  In  numerous  passages  Paul,  and  also 
Peter,  declare  that  the  woman  must  be  subject  to  the  man. 
Of  special  importance  in  this  connection  is  the  passage 
(Eph.  V,  22-25)  :  "Wives,  submit  yourselves  unto  your  own 
husbands,  as  unto  the  Lord.  For  the  husband  is  the  head 
of  the  wife,  even  as  Christ  is  the  Head  of  the  Church :  and 
he  is  the  Savior  of  the  body.  Therefore  as  the  Church  is 
subject  unto  Christ,  so  let  the  wives  be  to  their  own  hus- 
bands in  everything.  Husbands,  love  your  wives,  even  as 
Christ  also  loved  the  Church,  and  gave  himself  for  it.^' 
In  this  passage  Paul  has  modified  the  word  "submit"  by 
saying  in  the  preceding  verse,  "Submitting  yourselves  one 
to  another  in  the  fear  of  G-od ;"  and  subsequently  he  says : 
"So  ought  men  to  love  their  wives  as  their  own  bodies. 
He  that  loveth  his  wife  loveth  himself.  For  no  man  ever 
yet  hated  his  own  flesh :  but  nourisheth  and  cherisheth  it, 
even  as  the  Lord  the  Church :  for  we  are  members  of  his 
body,  of  his  flesh,  and  of  his  1)ones.  For  this  cause  shall 
a  man  leave  his  father  and  mother,  and  shall  be  joined 
unto  his  wife,  and  they  two  shall  be  one  flesh.  This  is 
a  great  mystery;  but  I  speak  concerning  Christ  and  the 
Church.  Nevertheless,  let  every  one  of  you  in  particular 
so  love  his  wife  even  as  himself ;  and  the  wife  see  that  she 
reverence  her  husband."  (Eph.  v,  28-33.)  While  it  is 
stated  here  that  the  husband  is  the  head  of  the  wife,  it  is 
only  in  the  sense  as  Christ  is  the  Head  of  the  Church.  And 
Christ  is  not  the  Head  of  the  Church  for  the  purposes  of 
gain  and  oppression,  but  to  heap  gifts  upon  her  and  ele- 
vate her  to  his  throne  that  she  may  share  with  him  in  his 
glory.  In  like  manner  ought  the  man  to  love  his  wife  and 
share  with  her  all  his  rights. 

And  now  let  us  again  go  back  to  the  difference  between 
unchangeable  principles  and  changeable  customs.  For  in- 
stance, in  the  Greek  Church  in  the  apostolical  times  it  was 


Appendix.  543 

a  sign  of  respect  to  bare  the  head,  as  it  is  with  us.  In  the 
East,  on  the  contrary,  the  head  was  covered,  and  this  is 
the  custom  to-day.  If  we  wish  to  do  any  one  reverence,  we 
lift  the  hat,  but  in  China  for  the  same  reason  the  hat  is 
put  on.  In  meeting  a  friend  we  press  his  hand ;  the  China- 
man shakes  his  own.  With  us,  black  is  the  color  of  mourn- 
ing, and  white  the  color  of  joy;  in  China  it  is  just  the  re- 
verse. In  entering  a  house  it  is  courtesy  with  us  to  let 
the  lady  step  in  first,  but  in  Turkey  the  man  walks  in  the 
lead.  Etiquette,  rules  of  decorum,  manners,  and  customs 
change  and  vary  in  different  climes  and  times.  After  the 
Savior  had  washed  the  disciples^  feet,  he  said :  ^' Ye  also 
ought  to  wash  one  another's  feet.  For  I  have  given  you 
an  example  that  ye  should  do  as  I  have  done  to  you." 
(John  xiii,  14,  15.)  Paul  puts  the  "washing  of  the  saints' 
feet"  in  the  category  of  good  works.  (1  Tim.  v,  10.) 
Climate,  dusty  roads,  and  the  wearing  of  sandals  sanctions 
in  the  East  the  feet-washing  of  a  guest  as  a  matter  of  com- 
fort and  duty.  Christ  by  its  means  performed  an  impor- 
tant symbolic  act.  Later  the  washing  of  feet  was  raised 
to  the  dignity  of  a  sacrament,  and  there  is  still  a  sect 
by  whom  this  is  retained.  Christianity,  however,  in  gen- 
eral, dropped  this  custom,  retaining  at  the  same  time  the 
principle  of  ministering  love  upon  which  it  is  grounded. 
The  principle  of  "love  for  the  brethren"  remains  un- 
changed, but  the  custom  in  which  the  principle  found  ex- 
pression has  departed.  Another  custom  in  the  apostolic 
Church  was  the  anointing  of  the  sick  with  oil.  (James  v, 
14.)  Oil  in  those  days  and  in  that  climate  was  a  substitute 
for  the  medicine  of  the  present  time.  Many  Christians 
retained  the  custom  of  anointing  the  sick  with  oil,  and  in 
one  Church  it  was  raised  to  the  dignity  of  a  sacrament. 
The  underlying  principle  of  praying  for  the  sick  and  giving 
them  medical  assistance  has   remained.     xV   very  similar 


544        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

case  is  found  in  the  customs  prescribed  by  Paul :  "Let  your 
women  keep  silence  in  the  churches;^'  "It  is  not  permitted 
unto  them  to  speak;''  "Let  the  woman  cover  her  head." 
These  customs  have  changed.  In  some  instances  they  have 
ceased  to  be  in  vogue  even  in  the  East,  and  in  the  West 
they  have  been  abrogated  altogether;  but  the  underlying 
principle  of  subjection  remains  unchanged.  The  apostle 
writes  to  Timothy,  "Let  the  woman  learn  in  silence  with 
all  subjection."  To  be  subject  is  the  immutable  Divine- 
law.  By  "learning  in  silence"  woman  is  to  give  evidence 
of  this  subjection.  The  principle  is  found  in  subjection, 
the  evidence  in  her  "silence."  The  principle  remains,  but 
the  evidence  in  conformity  with  the  conditions  of  our  times 
may  be  expressed  differently  from  the  being  silent  and 
wearing  veils. 

The  Savior,  for  example,  gives  his  disciples  the  direc- 
tion :  "Carry  neither  purse,  nor  scrip,  nor  shoes :  and  salute 
no  man  by  the  way.  And  into  whatsoever  house  ye  enter, 
first  say.  Peace  be  to  this  house."  The  custom  has  changed, 
but  the  underlying  principle  has  not.  Paul  writes  to  the 
congregation  at  Rome,  "Salute  one  another  with  a  holy 
kiss"  (Eom.  xvi,  16)  ;  and  Peter  gives  the  same  direction 
(1  Peter  v,  14).  The  custom  is  no  longer  generally  car- 
ried out,  but  the  principle  of  hearty  brotherly  love  which 
the  children  of  God  are  to  entertain  for  each  other  remains 
the  same.  The  Savior  (Matt,  xix,  21)  gives  the  direc- 
tion, "Sell  all  that  thou  hast,  and  give  it  to  the  poor." 
We  do  not  adhere  to  the  literal  sense  to-day,  but  the  prin- 
ciple expressed,  "to  have  as  though  we  had  not,"  and  "to 
do  good  and  to  communicate,"  remains  intact.  It  is  there- 
fore clear  that  the  silence  of  woman  and  her  covering  with 
a  veil  are  no  longer  necessary,  at  least  not  in  the  Western 
countries,  and  that  the  position  of  woman  as  "the  help- 
meet of  man"  has  been  changed;  but  the  principle   of 


Appendix.  545 

subjection    remains    the    same    in    all    countries    and    at 
all  times. 

Summing  up  the  whole  in  a  few  theses^  we  have  the 
following  result : 

1.  Woman  is  on  a  plane  of  perfect  equality  with  man 
in  the  religious  domain ;  that  is,  both  sexes  were  redeemed 
by  Christ,  and  have,  as  children  of  God,  the  common  duty 
to  build  up  the  kingdom  as  best  they  can.  "There  is  neither 
male  nor  female :  for  ye  are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus." 

2.  Woman  has  the  mission  in  the  gospel  to  build  up 
the  kingdom  according  to  her  special  gifts  and  faculties, 
particularly  through  the  service  of  love.  In  this  relation 
she  is  more  like  the  Savior  and  accomplishes  greater  things 
than  man.  The  Churcli,  in  the  Deaconess  Work,  has  given 
the  female  sex  a  wide  field  of  fruitful  usefulness,  even 
within  its  inner  25ortals. 

3.  The  order  of  creation  has  placed  upon  woman,  on 
account  of  her  natural  eadowments,  certain  restrictions 
which  can  not  be  removed  without  injury  to  her  highest 
interests.  She  should,  therefore,  not  push  herself  forward 
and  lord  it  over  man.  Neither  in  social  nor  commercial 
nor  political  relations  can  she  usurp  the  lead  without 
changing  the  nature  of  her  being  and  forsaking  her  God- 
given  vocation. 

4.  The  calling  best  suited  to  womanly  nature  is  that 
of  wife  and  mother,  and  unto  this  the  female  sex  ought 
to  be  specially  educated,  and  man  should  have  a  conscien- 
tious care  that  their  duties  be  not  disregarded  or  de- 
preciated. 

5.  Both  the  Scriptures  and  nature  assign  to  woman 
the  family  circle  as  the  principal  sphere  of  her  calling, 
and  it  is  only  from  this  standpoint  that  the  woman  ques- 
tion may  be  safely  discussed.  The  Scriptural  passage, 
"The   husband    is   the    head    of    the    wife,"    speaks    only 

35 


546         HiSTOKY  OF  THE  Deaconess  Movement. 

of   his    authority    in   the    family    circle,    and    determines 
nothing  for  public  life. 

6.  The  precept  of  the  apostle,  imposing  "silence"  upon 
woman,  was  not  at  variance  at  that  time  with  her  highest 
interests,  and  while  the  necessity  of  her  "silence"  by  the 
force  of  changed  conditions  has  passed  away,  her  highest 
interests  may  nevertheless  be  conserved.  It  is,  however, 
certain  that  woman  was  debarred  from  ordination  to  the 
ministry,  although  the  passages  in  question  (1  Cor.  xiv, 
34,  35)  say  nothing  of  the  boundaries  within  which  woman 
is  to  move  in  public  life. 

7.  It  is  clear  that,  if  the  world  is  to  be  saved,  woman 
must  at  the  present  day  be  drawn  into  a  much  more  ex- 
panded and  general  circle  of  activity,  and  it  devolves  upon 
the  Church  in  an  entirely  different  manner  than  has  hap- 
pened for  the  past  two  thousand  years  to  return  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  Holy  Scripture  and  the  Apostolical  Institutions. 
The  Deaconess  Movement  opens  up  for  woman  a  blessed 
usefulness  outside  of  the  home,  and  this  in  the  direction 
of  practical  charity  and  service  to  mankind.  When  it  is 
considered  that  the  women  of  paganism  can  only  be  reached 
by  female  missionaries,  that  in  the  home  Churches  two- 
thirds  of  the  membership  belong  to  the  female  sex,  and, 
finally,  that  their  social  and  ecclesiastical  relations,  as  well 
as  their  intellectual  and  educational  progress,  are  far  ahead 
of  the  apostles'  times,  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  the 
Church  needs  in  a  great  measure  the  enlightenment  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  on  the  question  of  the  proper  position  and 
sphere  of  woman. 


Appendix.  547 


Scriptural   Conceptions   of   Deaconesses  and  Their 

Work. 

Rkv.  G.  E.  HiiiiiEB,  President  of  the  Methodist 
Deaconess  Home  in  LouisviXiLE,  Ky. 

In  examining  the  life  of  the  early  Christian  Church  in 
all  its  aspects,  the  conclusion  can  hardly  be  avoided  that 
the  activity  and  influence  of  those  women  who  served  as 
deaconesses  must  have  been  one  of  the  strongest  factors. 
The  value  of  their  ministrations,  in  training  female  con- 
verts, in  the  public  service  of  the  congregation,  and  in  aid- 
ing the  destitute,  the  afflicted,  and  the  persecuted,  can 
hardly  be  overestimated. 

The  female  diaconate  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
and  fruitful  plants  that  grew  in  the  Lord's  vineyard  in  the 
days  of  the  first  love,  when  the  Pentecostal  spirit,  with  its 
life-giving  zephyrs,  moved  everywhere.  But  it  was  a  very 
tender  plant,  and,  therefore,  when  the  miasms  of  false 
teaching  and  sacerdotalism  began  to  penetrate  the  vineyard, 
this  goodly  plant  soon  began  to  droop  and  decay,  and,  as 
a  mockery,  nunnism  grew  up  in  its  place.  No  Scriptural 
institution  can  prosper  when  its  Scriptural  foundations 
have  once  been  destroyed,  and  we  should  beware  of  attempt- 
ing to  build  up  anything  in  the  Church  on  any  other  basis 
than  that  of  God's  living  and  everlasting  Word. 

It  has  pleased  God,  who  giveth  his  Spirit  as  it  pleaseth 
him,  to  permit  the  Scriptural  female  diaconate  to  reappear 
m  these  latter  da3^s.  It  sprouted  and  grew  up  miracu- 
lously, as  it  were,  in  the  Protestant  Church  of  Germany, 
a  field  which  many  of  us  had  deemed  too  barren  to  bring 
forth  any  good  thing;  and  it  has  just  as  miraculously 
stretched  its  branches  over  all  Christian  lands.  How  im- 
portant it  is  that  the  Church  should  know  what  this  latter- 
day  sign  means,  and  that  she  may  know  how  to  avoid 


548        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

crippling  this  blessed  and  tender  growth !  How  important 
clearly  to  set  forth  the  Scriptural  conception  of  the  Dea- 
coness Work,  and  thus  gain  a  correct  standard  by  which 
we  may  distinguish  the  genuine,  divine  plant  from  the 
parasitic  growths  that  threaten  to  fasten  their  destructive 
tendrils  around  its  branches ! 

At  first  sight  it  may  seem  that  the  Bible  has  very  little 
to  say  about  deaconesses  and  their  work.  In  apostolic  days 
there  were  no  Mother  Houses  and  hospitals,  with  their 
manifold  regulations  concerning  the  reception,  training, 
investiture,  work,  and  behavior  of  deaconesses,  and  hence 
we  find  very  little  information  about  these  things  in  the 
New  Testament.  But  this  need  not  trouble  us.  As  the 
Scriptures — thanks  be  to  God  ! — do  not  contain  a  ready- 
made  system  of  dogmas,  they  likewise  fail  to  give  us  con- 
stitutions, by-laws,  and  regulations  for  the  benevolent  in- 
stitutions of  the  Church.  Wheresoever  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  is,  there  is  liberty,  and  to  the  extent  that  this  Spirit 
operates  in  the  Church,  it  is  the  constantly-increasing  body 
of  Christ,  which  can  not  be  compressed  into  unyielding 
forms,  such  as  human  wisdom  has  always  been  ready  to 
weld  for  it. 

The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a  living  organism,  be- 
gotten and  born  into  the  world  by  the  Spirit  of  the  living 
God,  and  this  same  Spirit,  which  still  moves  in  the  Church, 
will  continue  building  the  living  edifice  in  ways  that  seem 
best  to  himself. 

What  w^ould  have  been  the  result  if  Christ  had  post- 
poned his  advent  until  the  Jewish  Sanhedrin  had  prepared 
a  constitution  for  his  kingdom ;  or  if  the  Apostle  Paul  had 
waited  with  the  establishment  of  Gentile  Churches  until 
his  Judaizing  brethren  had  laid  down  rules  for  their  con- 
duct ;  or  if  Theodore  Fliedner  had  put  off  the  setting  apart 
of  godly  young  women  to  the  work  of  deaconesses  until  the 


Appendix.  549 

highest  council  of  the  Prussian  Church  had  worked  out  a 
plan  for  his  guidance? 

The  female  diaeonate  in  the  early  days  was  like  the 
Church  itself,  the  product  of  God's  Spirit,  who  wrought 
whatever  was  good  and  lovely  in  the  hearts  of  believers; 
and,  accordingly,  the  Scriptures  do  not  tell  us  how  dea- 
conesses should  be  trained,  but  rather  of  the  life  and  ac- 
tivity of  those  whom  the  Holy  Spirit  himself  had  trained 
and  thrust  forth  in  the  days  when  the  Church  itself  was 
a  living  and  stupendous  miracle.  The  Christians  at  Joppa 
did  not  so  much  as  think  of  such  a  thing  as  the  office  of 
a  deaconess,  much  less  did  they  dream  of  establishing  a 
Deaconess  Home;  and  yet  the  Holy  Spirit  had  already 
placed  a  full-fledged  deaconess  in  their  midst,  in  the  per- 
son of  their  own  sweet-spirited  Tabitha.  And  no  doubt 
Phoebe  of  Cenchrea,  whom  Paul  commends  so  heartily  to 
the  brethren  at  Rome,  performed  the  work  of  a  deaconess 
before  a  committee  had  ever  been  organized  to  give  her 
a  paper  license  or  recommend  her  for  the  ceremony  of 
consecration.  It  was  the  Holy  Spirit  himself  who  had  ap- 
pointed and  consecrated  Phoebe  a  deaconess,  while  the 
Church  and  Paul,  through  the  same  Spirit,  had  simply 
recognized  her  as  such. 

It  is  evident  that  the  women  who  did  the  work  of  dea- 
conesses in  apostolic  times  were  essentially  and  actually 
deaconesses  before  the  Church  recognized  them  and  em- 
ployed them  as  such  in  a  formal  way.  At  that  time  the 
love  that  serves  for  Christ's  sake  pervaded  the  entire  body 
of  believers.  A  Church  from  which  the  spirit  of  this  love 
is  absent  can  not  be  owned  by  Him  who  came  to  serve,  and 
not  to  be  served.  To  such  he  says,  "Why  call  ye  me  Lord, 
and  do  not  what  I  tell  you?"  But  what  he  himself  has 
told  us,  and  what  he  has  inspired  his  holy  apostles  to  tell 
us,  is,  that  for  his  sake  we  are  to  care  for  the  children. 


550        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

feed  the  hungry,  clothe  the  naked,  nurse  the  sick,  visit 
the  prisoners,  comfort  the  sorrowing,  and  reclaim  the 
wandering. 

But  although  this  spirit  of  service  was  general  in  those 
early  days,  there  were  yet  men  and  women  in  the  Church 
who  possessed  the  charisma  of  serving  in  a  special  degree, 
and  so,  when  circumstances  arose  which  made  it  necessary 
that  some  should  act  for  Christ  and  his  Church  in  a  par- 
ticular manner,  as  instruments  of  benevolence — as  was 
the  case  when  the  first  seven  deacons  were  appointed  at 
Jerusalem — such  persons  were  set  apart  officially  for  such 
service,  and  thus  the  office,  or,  if  you  please,  the  Order  of 
Deacons  and  Deaconesses  came  to  be  established.  That 
each  of  these  persons  was  assigned  to  that  branch  of  service 
for  which  he  or  she  was  best  adapted,  we  may  assuredly 
take  for  granted. 

These  evident  apostolic  facts  supply  us  with  the 
premises  from  which  the  principles  that  underlie  the  true 
conception  of  the  female  diaconate,  and  which  should  guide 
us  in  this  noble  movement,  may  readily  be  deduced. 

And,  first  of  all,  it  is  plain  that  no  other  than  the  Holy 
Spirit  can  call  a  3'oung  woman  to  the  work  of  a  deaconess. 
Those  who  enter  without  this  call,  enter  from  a  wrong 
motive,  and  can  not  possibly  be  successful.  A  candidate 
should  not  desire  to  engage  in  this  holy  service  because  she 
wishes  to  gain  her  livelihood  in  this  way,  nor  because  she 
has  been  disappointed  and  grieved  in  other  directions ;  nor 
because  this  vocation  seems  to  her  more  respectable  than 
others ;  nor  because  she  expects  to  merit  heaven  by  her  good 
works ;  but  because  the  Holy  Spirit  has  wrought  within  her 
the  willingness  to  serve  the  needy  and  helpless  with  joyful 
self-denial,  for  Jesus^  sake. 

Nor  must  the  Church  move  in  this  great  cause  except 
as  the   Holy   Spirit  directs.     The   Church  must  not  act 


Appendix.  551 

arbitrarily,  but  should  go  forward  as  fast  as  the  Holy  Spirit 
moves  her,  and  no  faster.  If  she  move  slower,  she  will 
quench  the  Spirit ;  if  faster,  she  will  be  in  danger  of  build- 
ing with  wood,  straw,  and  stubble,  rather  than  with  silver, 
gold,  and  precious  stones.  It  is  far  better  to  carry  forward 
the  work  of  a  small  institution  with  two  fully-consecrated, 
Spirit-filled  women,  than  by  merely  human  persuasion  to 
increase  the  number  to  ten,  and  then  find  ourselves  ham- 
pered by  their  unfitness. 

Again,  our  Scriptural  premises  enjoin  the  Church  to 
admit  all  women  to  this  blessed  work  whom  the  Holy 
Spirit  has  truly  called,  no  matter  what  their  station  in  life 
may  be.  It  was  thus  that,  in  the  early  Church,  some  of 
the  deaconesses  were  virgins,  others  were  married  women, 
and  still  others  were  widows.  Why  should  not  the  Dea- 
coness Work— I  mean  in  the  official  sense — be  open  to  all 
these  classes  now?     What  right  have  we  to  exclude  them? 

It  must,  of  course,  be  admitted  that,  as  a  rule,  it  is 
not  feasible  to  receive  widows  or  elderly  maidens  or  mar- 
ried women  into  our  Deaconess  Homes  and  Hospitals.  But 
is  there  not  room  for  deaconesses  in  our  Churches  outside 
of  those  institutions  ?  And  should  not  the  Church  be  ready 
to  employ  widows  and  married  women  in  this  capacity  when 
it  is  evident  that  God  has  given  them  the  charisma  of  serv- 
ing in  an  eminent  degree,  and  that  the  Holy  Spirit  himself 
has  trained  them  better  than  many  others  can  ever  be 
trained  in  schools?  In  this  respect  our  Protestant  Dea- 
coness Work  is  still  much  too  stiff  and  narrow  as  compared 
to  that  of  apostolic  times.  Let  us  beware  of  establishing 
an  ecclesiastical  bureaucracy,  in  which  God's  Spirit  can 
no  longer  freely  move. 

It  is  true  the  Apostle  Paul  has  given  us  delicate  but 
significant  warnings,  which  should  make  us  wary  in  ap- 
pointing widows  and  married  women  as  deaconesses.    Con- 


552         HisTOUY  OF  THE  Deaconess  Movement. 

cerning  the  former,  he  says,  "When  they  have  waxed 
wanton  against  Christ,  they  desire  to  marry,  having  con- 
demnation, because  they  have  rejected  their  first  faith," 
etc. ;  and  as  to  the  married  women,  he  remarks  that  they 
must  seek  to  please  their  husbands,  while  virgins  need  only 
to  seek  that  which  pleases  the  Lord.  From  these  passages 
it  follows  that  widows  and  married  women  should  be  em- 
ployed as  deaconesses  only  in  exceptional  cases.  But  the 
exceptions  we  find  in  the  Scriptures  and  early  Church  his- 
tory are  such  remarkable  exemplifications  of  fidelity,  de- 
votion, and  self-denial  that  it  would  be  folly  for  the  Church 
absolutely  to  bar  these  classes  out.  Had  the  Church  acted 
more  wisely  in  the  utilization  of  the  graces  given  to  women, 
the  so-called  woman  question  would  probably  never  have 
troubled  us  with  its  perplexities. 

But  one  thing  should  ever  be  kept  in  mind:  if  it  be 
the  Holy  Spirit  who  calls  and  endues  women  for  the  Dea- 
coness Work,  the  Church  should  insist  that  every  candidate 
must  bring  forth  the  proper  fruits  of  the  Spirit  before  she 
is  inducted  into  this  holy  office.  We  must  not  suppose  that 
they  are  going  to  show  a  fitting  mind  and  behavior  be- 
cause they  are  made  deaconesses;  but,  on  the  contrary,  we 
should  appoint  them  to  this  position  because  they  have 
previously  shown  that  they  possess  the  charisma  of  self- 
denying  service  which  God's  Word  requires  of  such  women. 
They  should  unite  the  traits  properly  belonging  to  Chris- 
tian women  in  general,  "soberness,  discretion,  chastity,  in- 
dustry, and  kindness,"  with  those  required  of  deacons  in 
particular ;  namely,  that  they  be  "grave,  not  double-tongued, 
not  given  to  much  wine,  not  greedy  of  filthy  lucre;  hold- 
ing the  mystery  of  the  faith  in  a  pure  conscience;  and  let 
them  also  first  be  proved;  then  let  them  use  the  office  of  a 
deacon,  being  found  blameless."  Such  were  Mary  Magda- 
lene and  Joanna  the  wife  of  Chuza,  and  many  others  who, 


Appendix.  553 

during  his  earthly  pilgrimage,  ministered  to  our  Lord  of 
their  substance.  Such  was  Tabitha,  the  gazelle,  who  was 
full  of  good  works  and  alms-deeds  which  she  did ;  such  was 
Phoebe,  who  was  a  succorer  of  many,  and  also  of  the 
apostle ;  such  were  Tryphena  and  Tryphosa,  and  Persis, 
whom  Paul  salutes,  because  they  had  labored  much  in  the 
Lord;  such  was  Priscilla,  the  wife  of  Aquila,  who  ex- 
pounded the  way  more  perfectly  ev6^n  to  the  eloquent 
Apollos;  and  such  was  the  elect  lady  to  whom  the  Apostle 
John  directed  his  exquisite  Second  Epistle,  because  he  loved 
her  in  the  truth. 

Again,  we  may  infer  from  our  Scriptural  premises  the 
almost  limitless  sphere  of  diaconal  activity.  The  labor  of 
love,  to  which  the  Spirit  of  Christ  from  the  beginning 
moved  his  Church,  extended  to  the  uttermost  bounds  of 
human  need;  the  training  of  neglected  children;  the -care 
of  orphans  and  widows;  rescuing  the  fallen,  relieving  the 
poor,  sheltering  the  wanderers,  nursing  the  sick;  in  fact, 
everything  that  rightfully  can  call  forth  the  exercise  of 
Christian  charity.  In  our  country  all  charities  of  every 
name  and  character — including  institutions  for  the  aged 
and  infirm,  the  blind,  the  imbecile,  and  the  insane — should 
be  in  the  hands  of  deacons  and  deaconesses,  and  not  in 
those  of  mere  hirelings,  as  is  now  often  the  case.  What  a 
field  there  is  for  vast  armies  of  such  workers !  But,  alas ! 
while  the  harvest  indeed  is  great,  the  laborers  are  few. 

But  right  here  arises  a  question  which  to  my  mind  is 
of  the  highest  importance.  Why  does  the  Church  concern 
itself  in  such  one-sided  fashion  with  the  female  diaconate, 
and  does  almost  nothing  to  revive  the  male  diaconate  of 
Bible  times?  In  the  fields  just  mentioned,  deacons  are 
needed  almost  as  much  as  deaconesses.  When  women  over- 
come the  timidity  and  delicacy  of  feeling  so  natural  and 
so  becoming  to  their  sex^  and  perform  such  extremely  un- 


554        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

pleasant  service  for  male  patients  as  I  have  seen  them 
render  in  our  deaconess  hospitals^  they  merit  our  admira- 
tion and  gratitude.  Yet  the  question  arises  whether  this 
should  be  required  of  them;  whether  it  is  proper,  and 
whether  it  is  entirely  in  harmony  with  the  Scriptural  ideals 
of  female  work.  Certainly  there  is  much  work  of  this  class 
that  calls  for  masculine,  and  not  feminine  hands ;  and  for 
this  reason  it  is  high  time  that  the  Church  should  take  de- 
cisive steps  toward  the  establishment  of  a  Scriptural  male 
diaconate.  The  preaching  deacons  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal and  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Churches,  and  the  gov- 
erning lay  deacons  of  the  Baptist  Churches,  are  not  deacons 
in  the  Scriptural  sense,  nor  in  the  sense  in  which  they 
are  needed  at  the  present  time. 

Eeturning  to  our  theme,  we  now  ask.  What  is  the  final 
object  and  aim  toward  which  all  Deaconess  Work  should 
be  directed?  What  did  the  Holy  Spirit  have  in  view  when 
he  moved  the  Church  to  this  manifold  and  ceaseless  work 
of  love,  and  when  he  enlisted  the  noblest  instruments  of 
his  grace  in  these  benevolent  services?  This  is  an  ex- 
ceedingly important  point.  For  in  every  work  that  we  may 
undertake,  the  final  aim  we  have  in  view  is  what  really  in- 
fluences us  as  to  the  spirit  in  which  we  act  and  the  methods 
we  employ.  Xow,  is  there  one  supreme  and  final  aim 
toward  which  all  Deaconess  Work  in  its  manifold  branches 
should  ever  be  directed  ?    We  think  there  is. 

Christ  says,  "Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men  that 
they  may  see  your  good  works  and  glorify  your  Father 
which  is  in  heaven.^^  Peter  writes,  "Ye  are  a  chosen  peo- 
ple, a  royal  priesthood,  that  ye  may  show  forth  the  ex- 
cellencies of  him  who  called  you  out  of  the  darkness  to 
his  marvelous  light.^'  And  Paul,  in  writing  to  the  Ephe- 
sians  concerning  the  various  offices  and  ministrations  that 
Christ  has  given,  says  that  their  purpose  is  the  upbuilding 


Appendix.  555 

of  Christ's  body.  In  these  and  other  passages  the  great 
aim  toward  which  all  Christian  endeavor  should  be  directed 
is  clearly  and  definitely  set  before  us.  It  is  that  the  re- 
deeming love  of  Christ  may  be  revealed  to  the  eyes  and 
hearts  of  men,  and  that  they  may  be  persuaded  to  seek  the 
salvation  of  their  souls.  Those  who  receive  this  service 
shall  be  made  to  realize  that  they  owe  it  all  to  the  Son  of 
God  who  died  for  them,  and  be  led  to  understand  that 
whatsoever  a  deaconess  does  for  them,  aims  first  and  last 
at  their  eternal  welfare.  This  is  the  essential  difference 
between  the  Deaconess  Work  and  all  merely  secular  char- 
ities. Even  the  county  or  city  can  provide  for  the  physical 
necessities  of  the  poor,  but  by  the  benevolence  of  the  Church 
the  poor  are  to  be  made  rich  in  God.  The  sick  may  be 
nursed  by  any  professional  nurse,  in  any  infirmary,  but 
the  Deaconess  Hospital  should  become,  to  those  who  enter 
there,  a  gateway  leading  to  eternal  glory. 

It  is  true  that  in  this  direction  we  must  unite  the 
wisdom  of  serpents  with  the  harmlessness  of  doves.  A 
deaconess  must  not  engage  in  mere  proselyting,  nor  must 
she  force  her  religious  admonitions  indiscriminately  on 
those  who  are  not  ready  to  receive  them.  But  neither  dares 
she  hide  her  light  under  a  bushel.  Lovingly  and  tactfully 
she  must  at  least  endeavor  to  show  them  the  love  of  Christ. 
When  these  eflbrts  are  constantly  re-enforced  by  the  prayer 
of  faith,  they  will  accomplish  wonders.  Where  those  who 
are  the  recipients  of  this  service  are  not  made  to  realize, 
in  one  way  or  another,  that  we  are  longing  for  their  sal- 
vation, and  that  Christ  is  knocking  at  the  door  of  their 
hearts,  the  Deaconess  Work  falls  short  of  its  main  pur- 
pose. To  imagine  a  deaconess  in  apostolic  times — when 
the  one  great  passion  of  the  entire  Church  was  to  make 
Christ  known  to  men — doing  good  to  men  without,  at  the 
same  time,  directing  their  thoughts  to  the  highest  good, 


556        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

is  well-nigh  impossible.  A  mere  professional  nurse  or 
an  aimless  charity  worker  is  not  a  deaconess.  Unless  a 
young  woman  manifest  a  love  for  souls  that  is  felt  by  all 
who  come  in  her  proximity,  the  wearing  of  the  white  tie 
will  seem  as  though  it  were  a  mockery. 

Such  is  the  Scriptural  conception  of  the  female 
diaconate.  The  Gospel,  as  revealed  in  the  New  Testament 
by  doctrine  and  example,  is  its  guide;  the  Holy  Spirit, 
operating  in  the  Church  and  setting  hearts  ablaze  with 
Divine  love,  is  its  motive  j^ower;  a  Sisterhood  called  by 
Christ,  endued  with  the  special  charisma  of  self-denying 
service,  and  recognized  by  the  Church,  is  its  acting  instru- 
ment; to  operate  in  all  the  fields  of  human  need,  in  order 
that  men  may  be  led  to  know  the  redeeming  love  of  Christ, 
and  thus  find  eternal  life,  is  its  paramount  purpose. 

Unless  these  fundamentals  are  steadily  adhered  to,  the 
modern  Deaconess  Movement,  whose  rise  every  follower  of 
Christ  should  hail  with  joy,  will  degenerate  and  decay  even 
more  rapidly  than  did  that  of  the  early  Church.  Even 
now  there  are  signs  that  some  would  like  to  subjugate  this 
movement  to  the  aims  of  the  Woman's  Rights  fanatics; 
that  others  want  to  tone  it  down  to  spiritless  charity  efforts ; 
and  that  still  others  would,  if  they  could,  convert  it  into 
a  counterfeit  conventism.  These  dangers  can  best  be 
avoided  and  circumvented  by  unwaveringly  upholding 
Scriptural  ideals.  Every  religious  movement  that  swerves 
from  the  paths  where  these  ideals  lead;,  will  certainly  result 
in  a  disappointment. 

One  more  remark  in  conclusion.  If  the  Scriptural 
diaconate  is  a  living  organism,  brought  forth  by  the  life- 
giving  operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Church,  then 
it  is  impossible  for  a  denominational  body  to  produce  a 
genuine  and  effective  Deaconess  Work  unless  it  has  within 
it  a  large  measure  of  the   Spirit's  power.     How  can  we 


Appendix.  557 

expect  such  a  Scriptural  institution  to  proceed  from  the 
bosom  of  a  dead  and  decaying  Church?  Committees  and 
boards  may  hold  ever  so  many  meetings,  may  invent  the 
most  admirable  machinery  and  disciplinary  regulations, 
may  induce  our  wealthy  members  to  contribute  the  most 
munificent  sums,  and  may  erect  the  most  splendidly- 
equipped  buildings ;  but  all  these  will  be  of  no  avail  unless 
the  Holy  Spirit  gives  us  deaconesses,  and  unless  he  guides 
us  in  all  that  we  do. 

The  possibilities  of  the  Deaconess  Movement  are  so 
great  that,  if  I  were  to  unfold  them  in  this  connection, 
my  article  would  by  many  be  pronounced  chimerical.  Yet 
the  one  supreme  condition  for  the  realization  of  these  pos- 
sibilities is  a  Pentecostal  revival  that  shall  stir  the  Church 
in  its  depths,  and  sweep  all  lukewarmness  and  worldli- 
ness  away. 

i^  i^  ^  ^  tii 

Principles  of  the  Deaconess  Office  and  Outlines  of 
THE  Organization  of  Kaiserswerth. 

Rev.  Juiiius   Disselhoff,    £>.   D.,  in   "Jubilate." 

Uniformly  with  the  whole  Evangelical  Church,  the 
Evangelical  Deaconess  Movement  has  grown  out  of  the 
Biblical,  apostolic  foundations  of  our  faith  and  practice. 
The  objection  is  often  heard  that  the  modern  deaconess 
is  very  different  from  the  deaconess  of  the  Apostolic  and 
ancient  Christian  Church.  If  we  judge  simply  from  the 
external  appearance,  and  not  from  the  inherent  nature 
of  the  office,  that  would  be  perfectly  true.  But  are  not  all 
our  ecclesiastical  regulations  different  in  many  ways  from 
those  of  the  Apostolic  Church?  Does  our  evangelical 
Church  cease,  therefore,  to  be  a  true  Christian  Church? 
Do  we  not  conduct  our  missionary  work  different  from  the 
missions  of  the  apostles  and  the  early  Christian  Church? 


558         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Do  they,  therefore,  cease  to  be  a  fulfillment  of  the  com- 
mand of  Jesus,  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world  ?"  Is  not  present- 
day  preaching  altogether  different  in  form  from  the  preach- 
ing of  apostolic  times?  What  did  they  know  of  our 
academies,  universities,  scientific  examinations,  etc.,  which 
to-day  are  indispensable  requirements  of  the  called  and 
ordained  ministry  in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ?  Evi- 
dently the  gospel  heralds  of  the  present  day  are  farther 
removed  in  this  respect  from  those  of  the  Apostolic  Church 
than  our  deaconesses  are  from  theirs.  But  the  essential 
character  underneath  all  this  difference  of  external  de- 
velopment remains  the  same.  And  what  is  the  essence  of 
the  Deaconess  ^lovement?  It  is  the  exercise,  officially 
regulated  and  followed  as  a  profession  by  women,  of  that 
charity,  which  is  born  with  the  Christian  faith,  towards 
all  who  need  help.  Unto  the  Gentiles  Paul  became  as  a 
Gentile,  and  unto  the  Jews  as  a  Jew.  In  like  manner  as 
the  Christian  Church,  the  evangelical  diaconate  must  be- 
come a  child  of  the  twentieth  century,  that  it  may  win 
the  twentieth  century  for  the  gospel.  All  formal  differ- 
ences between  the  modern  and  the  ancient  diaconate  arise 
from  this  source.  These  times  demand  a  careful  training 
of  the  deaconess  for  all  branches  of  her  profession.  In- 
dividuals, and  especially  gifted  persons,  may  acquire  this 
training  by  private  means;  but  as  a  rule  it  is  to  be  had 
only  in  training-schools  especially  arranged  for  the  pur- 
pose. We  are  living  in  the  age  of  associations.  The  cor- 
responding feature  in  the  Church  is  a  strong  desire  for 
the  communion  of  the  faithful.  The  heart  of  woman,  hav- 
ing given  itself  to  the  service  of  the  Church,  seeks  to  be 
transferred  from  its  isolation  to  an  established  community, 
such  as  is  not  usually  found  in  our  congregations;  it  de- 
sires a  motherly,  protecting,  directing  home,  which  a  tran- 
sient Church  Board  can  not  possibly  offer.     It  is  evident 


Appexdix.  559 

Sisterhoods,  Mother  Houses,  are  necessary.  Were  these  to 
be  discontinued,  you  would  soon  enough  find  that  the  ap- 
plications for  the  deaconess  calling  would  grow  discourag- 
ingly  less. 

In  our  present  age,  only  a  few  prominent  ^personalities 
may  develop  an  extraordinary  activity  as  individuals.  But 
in  a  community,  even  medium  talents  may  fill  their  place 
with  success,  and  this  accords  perfectly  with  that  word  of 
Jesus  about  the  servant  who  had  fewer  talents  than  the 
others.  (Matt,  xxv,  2T.)  Applied  to  the  Deaconess  Cause, 
this  means  that  only  under  the  direction  and  discipline 
of  a  firm  central  point,  a  Mother  House,  can  even  ordinary 
talents  be  successfully  utilized.  If  the  deaconesses  of  the 
j^resent  day  were  suddenly  to  lose  this  superintendence, 
we  would  soon  make  the  sad  discovery  how  greatly  their 
usefulness  would  be  curtailed. 

Further,  our  age  exists  only  through  the  reciprocal  ex- 
change of  commodities.  A  communit}'  can  not  subsist, 
either  physically  or  intellectually,  on  its  own  products. 
Similar  conditions  prevail  in  the  spiritual  world.  Many 
capable  persons  would  not  find  such  a  field  for  their 
energies  at  home  as  is  open  to  them  in  other  places.  There- 
fore deaconesses  gather  from  all  parts  of  the  country  in 
the  Mother  House,  that  they  may  be  sent  where  their  work 
appears  to  be  most  necessary  and  advantageous,  and  where 
the  need  is  so  great  that  it  can  not  l)e  supplied  by  native 
resource.  In  conclusion,  the  need  of  help  has  increased, 
in  many  places,  in  such  a  manner  and  to  such  an  extent 
that  it  can  only  be  met  by  institutions  and  well-ordered 
associations,  which  proves  that  the  Deaconess  Work  must, 
in  such  cases,  adopt  the  associational  or  institutional  form, 
even  though  that  form  was  unknown  to  the  primitive 
Church. 

Enough!     The  Deaconess  Cause  of  this  age  seeks  to 


560        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

understand  its  century  and  to  serve  it,  and  therefore  it 
has  changed  the  old  form,  as  Paul  did  his  voice  with  the 
Galatians;  but  at  the  same  time  it  wants  to  root  deeply  in 
its  maternal  soil  the  Apostolic  Diaconate.  In  these  two 
facts  we  find  the  only  explanation  of  its  exceedingly  rapid 
and  universal  success. 

Yet,  however  emphatically  we  may  j^roclaim  the  present 
prevailing  form  of  Deaconess  Work  as  the  most  suitable — 
in  fact,  indispensable — for  our  times,  we  are  equally  em- 
phatic in  the  opinion  that  it  must  not  be  declared  as  the 
only  form.  We  hail  the  experiments  which  have  been 
made  in  different  places,  to  introduce  other  forms,  with 
pleasure;  provided  they  are  made  by  people  who  have  the 
interest  of  the  Church  at  heart  and  possess  good  common 
sense.  At  least  our  Mother  House  has  tried  for  some  time, 
both  verbally  and  by  the  use  of  the  pen,  to  induce  the 
Presbyteries  of  large  congregations  to  employ  their  own 
deaconesses,  who  shall  be  responsible  to  them  only,  and  have 
up  to  the  present  gladly,  and  to  the  extent  of  our  ability, 
assisted  in  carrying  out  this  plan. 

In  common  with  the  ancient  deaconess,  the  modern 
deaconess  has  a  calling,  an  office.  This  is  another  essential 
point.  Even  in  social  and  business  circles  it  is  an  incon- 
trovertible maxim  that  the  demands  of  business  or  of  the 
calling  take  precedence  over  personal  desires  and  aims; 
otherwise  the  calling  is  a  failure  and  the  business  a  ruin. 
In  civil  life  the  office  stands  high  above  all  personal  inter- 
ests. Where  the  former  commands,  the  latter  are  silent. 
An  officer  of  State  who  neglects  his  office  for  the  sake  of 
his  family  is  unfit.  Even  more  decidedly  would  a  con- 
gregation call  its  minister  an  unfaithful  servant  who  lent 
a  more  willing  ear  to  his  personal  and  family  affairs  than 
to  the  demands  of  his  calling.  All  this  is  considered  ob- 
vious, because  in  these  cases  the  importance  of  the  calling 


Appendix.  561 

or  office  is  generally  conceded.  But  the  parents  and  rela- 
tives of  a  deaconess  too  often  demand  of  her  that  she  place 
her  personal  and  family  interests  above  the  duties  of  her 
office.  The  demands  of  the  diaconate  are  generally  con- 
sidered less  exacting  than  any  other  calling,  even  that  of 
a  servant.  If  parents  have  several  unmarried  daughters, 
who  all  have  a  definite  occupation,  and  one  of  them  is  a 
deaconess,  you  may  as  a  rule  be  sure  that,  when  a  daugh- 
ter is  needed  in  the  home,  the  deaconess  will  be  called  first, 
because  they  think  she  can  most  easily  cast  off  her  obliga- 
tions. This  and  similar  experiences  are  based  on  the  fact 
that  Protestant  people  do  not  yet  realize  that  the  diaconate 
is  an  office.  Such  knowledge  must  become  more  vivid  and 
general  among  us.  But  this  can  not  and  should  not  be 
brought  about  by  greater  strictness  on  the  part  of  superin- 
tendents of  Mother  Houses  in  upholding  the  demands  of 
the  office  in  opposition  to  the  desires  of  the  parents;  but 
it  should  be  our  principle  conscientiously  to  honor  the  will 
of  the  parents,  even  though  they  do  show  a  lack  of  under- 
standing, or  perhaps  a  disregard,  for  the  office  of  a  dea- 
coness. The  honor  of  the  Church  and  the  welfare  of  a 
legion  of  sufferers  obliges  us,  by  continual  instruction,  to 
impress  upon  our  people  an  understanding  of  the  nature 
of  the  office  of  a  deaconess.  I  know  it  has  been  said  that 
Deaconess  Work  may  easily  be  degraded  to  a  profession, 
and  that  personal  love  and  mercy,  which  are  the  soul  of 
this  work,  may  disappear  if  we  lay  too  much  stress  on 
the  office.  Had  this  accusation  not  appeared  in  print,  one 
would  hardly  believe  that  it  could  have  been  made.  Did 
not  Jesus  himself,  the  beginner  and  perfecter  of  our  faith, 
who  went  about  doing  good,  have  an  office?  Did  personal 
mercy  and  love  suffer  because  of  his  office?  Who  is  more 
positive  than  Paul  in  declaring  his  office;  and  whose  work 
flows  more  freely  out  of  liis  personal  love?  Has  Luther 
36 


562        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

been  forgotten?  Is  it  not  known  that  his  office  of  Doctor 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures  gave  him  no  rest  either  day  or 
night  until  he  had  again  placed  the  Word  of  God  on  the 
candlestick  ?  The  Divinely-appointed  office  is  the  true  basis 
of  action  for  every  servant  and  every  handmaiden  of  God. 
It  inspires  with  courage  and  joy  to  pray  for  the  necessary 
wisdom,  love,  strength,  and  endurance,  or  whatever  else 
may  be  necessary  in  the  service  of  Him  who  gave  the 
office.  There  are  many  offices  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ, 
but  in  all  of  them  we  may,  in  difficult  and  unfruitful  times, 
appropriate  the  words  of  Isaiah  xlix,  4 :  "Then  I  said,  I 
have  labored  in  vain ;  I  have  spent  my  strength  for  naught, 
and  in  vain ;  yet  surely  my  judgment  is  with  the  Lord,  and 
my  work  with  my  God." 

Of  course  the  office  of  deaconess  in  our  Church  is  not 
an  office  in  the  Eoman  Catholic  sense;  it  is  to  be  taken 
in  the  Biblical,  evangelical  sense.  The  objective  and  the 
subjective  call  must  be  vitally  one.  The  deaconess  receives 
her  office  through  the  appointment  of  the  Church;  she 
takes  it  from  the  hands  of  her  Lord;  but  she  takes  it  of 
her  own  free  choice,  out  of  her  innermost  conviction,  im- 
pelled by  the  love  of  Christ,  convinced  by  the  Lord  and  his 
Spirit.  No  rope  is  put  around  her  neck  when  she  is  con- 
secrated to  this  calling.  No  vow,  no  external  law,  only 
the  power  which  led  her  into  the  calling,  can  keep  her  in 
it.  If  she  feels  herself  no  longer  bound  by  this  jwwer,  and 
if  she  does  not  want  to  be  bound  by  it  again,  then  it  is 
better  if  she  departs,  just  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  should 
retire  from  that  office  when  he  can  no  longer  preach  the 
plain  Word  of  God  as  the  eternal  truth,  from  his  own  free 
conviction. 

The  evangelical  Church  can  not  and  will  not  give  its 
deaconesses  the  alluring  prospect  that  they  shall  be  deemed 
more  saintly  here  and  more  blessed  in  the  life  to  come 


Appendix.  563 

than  other  believers,  or,  as  the  Catholic  theology  expresses 
itself,  "a  coronella  with  the  corona/' — a  small  crown  in 
addition  to  the  crown  of  life.  Our  Church  teaches  that 
the  office  of  deacon  and  deaconess  is  necessary  and  bene- 
ficial in  addition  to  the  exercise  of  private  benevolence  on 
the  part  of  individual  believers;  but  this  office  is  neither 
more  important  nor  more  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God, 
nor  is  it  in  itself  of  greater  sanctity  than  any  other  pro- 
fession in  which  Christians  exercise  their  faith  and  love. 
This  is  an  evangelical  principle,  which  is  true  for  every 
profession,  not  excluding  that  of  the  deaconess,  that  in 
Christ  Jesus  nothing  counts  except  faith,  which  is  active 
in  love. 

"Forever  lay  aside  the  bonds  of  this  world."  What  a 
different  meaning  these  words  have  when  coming  from  the 
lips  of  a  true  Catholic  or  when  spoken  by  a  true  Prot- 
estant !  The  Eoman  Christian  understands  them  to  mean 
the  tearing  asunder  of  natural  bonds  which  God  has  made, 
fleeing  to  the  convent,  whose  portals,  after  all,  can  not  shut 
out  the  worldliness  of  the  heart.  The  evangelical  believer 
understands  separation  from  the  world  to  mean  the  purifi- 
cation of  the  natural.  Divinely-ordained  bonds  from  sin 
and  selfishness,  and  their  renewal  and  transfiguration  by 
the  Spirit  of  God.  The  Evangelical  Deaconess  Home  prays 
for  its  daughters  as  the  Lord,  in  his  intercessory  prayer, 
did  for  his  disciples :  "I  pray  not  that  thou  shouldest  take 
them  out  of  the  world,  but  that  thou  shouldest  keep  them 
from  evil."  (John  xvii,  15.)  The  Evangelical  Deaconess 
is  not  sundered  from  her  family.  The  written  consent  of 
the  parents  of  those  even  who  are  of  age,  as  well  of  the 
guardians  of  minors,  is  an  indispensable,  primary  condition 
of  their  acceptance  on  prol3ation.  At  her  consecration  the 
deaconess  promises  faithfully  to  perform  the  duties  of  her 
office,  in  the  fear  of  God  and  in  accordance  with  his  holy 


564        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Word.  A  vow  is  not  made.  Every  deaconess  may,  with 
the  most  perfect  freedom,  return  to  nurse  her  aged  or  sick 
parents,  when  they  so  request;  or  she  may  marry  at  any 
time;  in  which  event  she  is  expected  to  notify  the  Mother 
House  before  she  binds  herself  in  an  engagement,  so  that 
she  may  receive  her  dismissal  with  the  good  will  of  the  in- 
stitution. Every  deaconess  retains  perfect  control  over  her 
private  property,  which,  at  her  death,  descends  to  her 
legal  heirs.  The  deaconess  remains  in  perfect  affiliation 
with  her  relatives;  her  correspondence  is,  of  course,  per- 
fectly free  from  censorship.  Every  two  or  three  years  the 
Mother  House  furnishes  her  with  the  means  to  visit  her 
relatives,  especially  her  parents.  In  all  that  is  promised 
to  or  expected  of  the  deaconess,  there  is  not  a  trace  of  what 
Luther  calls  monkishness  or  nunnism.  There  must  be 
system  that  is  fundamentally  evangelical,  for  God  is  a 
God  of  order. 

The  work  of  the  deaconess  extends  to  the  needy  of  all 
denominations  without  distinction,  but  is  not  intended  to 
make  proselytes  to  the  Evangelical  Church  from  the  mem- 
bers of  other  denominations.  No  field  of  human  suffering, 
in  which  the  aid  of  women  can  be  employed,  is  excluded 
from  the  Deaconess  Work.  In  the  nature  of  the  case  this 
work  is  divided  in  two  classes, — caring  for  the  sick  and 
needy,  and  teaching  the  children.  The  former  work  falls 
to  the  nurses,  the  latter  to  the  teaching  deaconesses. 

Our  Ehenic-Westphalian  Deaconess  Union  is  under  the 
supervision  of  the  Rhenic  and  Westphalian  Provincial 
Synods,  whose  presidents  are  ex-ofjicio  members  of  the 
Board  of  Managers.  One  member  of  the  Board  must  be 
a  practicing  physician.  This  Board  conducts  all  the  pub- 
lic business  and  exercises  all  the  rights  of  the  society. 
Under  it  the  whole  work  is  carried  on  by  the  "Directors 
of  the  Deaconess  Institution;"  that  is,  by  the  inspector, 


Appendix.  565 

who  is  an  evangelical  minister,  and  by  the  supervising 
matron,  who  are  both  appointed  by  the  Board  of  Managers, 
and  conduct  their  work  according  to  directions  received 
from  the  Board.  Buying  and  selling  of  real  estate,  build- 
ing, the  appointment  of  officials,  the  adoption  or  abandon- 
ment of  fields  of  labor,  as  well  as  all  new  arrangements, 
are  subject  to  the  decision  of  the  Board.  The  pastor 
(inspector)  and  the  supervising  matron  are  the  parents 
(Hauseltern)  of  all  the  deaconesses.  Under  them  the 
Mother  House,  as  well  as  each  branch  house  or  other  sta- 
tion, has  its  own  directing  Sister,  who  is  not  called  Sister 
Superior  with  us,  but  simply  Sister,  because  she  is  con- 
sidered as  an  elder  Sister  in  the  family  circle.  She  con- 
ducts the  institution  or  station  intrusted  to  her  according 
to  her  instructions  and  fixed  regulations  of  the  house,  so 
that  the  whole  work  is  separated  into  distinct  and  auton- 
omic families  or  households,  and  yet  controlled  by  one 
spirit. 

Only  maidens  and  childless  widows  of  evangelical  faith, 
Christian  spirit,  and  good  moral  conduct,  over  eighteen 
and  less  than  forty  years  of  age,  are  admitted  to  the  pre- 
paratory classes  of  the  Deaconess  Union.  In  some  cases 
an  exception  may  be  made  with  regard  to  age.  Before 
entering  on  the  deaconess  office,  the  deaconess  passes 
through  a  period  of  probation,  the  length  of  which  de- 
pends on  her  previous  training,  natural  ability,  knowledge, 
and  experience.  In  order  to  compensate  them  in  some 
measure  for  the  loss  of  their  home  surroundings,  the 
newly-arrived  Sisters,  in  our  large  institutions,  during  their 
preliminary  probation,  live,  eat,  and  sleep  together,  in  a 
smaller,  cozier  circle,  with  one  of  the  older  deaconesses 
as  their  maternal  friend,  until  they  have  become  familiar 
with  their  new  surroundings  and  feel  at  home  in  their 
new  sphere.     The  practical  and  theoretical  training  of  the 


666        History  of  the  Deacone.ss  Movement. 

probationers  is  carried  on  jointly.  They  are  perfected  in 
Christian  knowledge  and  trained  in  all  the  technical  re- 
quirements of  the  profession.  Unconstrained  love  is  the 
motive  which  induces  each  one  to  take  her  place,  obe- 
diently and  willingly,  in  the  organism  of  the  great  institu- 
tion. Peculiar  enchantments  or  methodistic  appliances  for 
breaking  the  will  or  making  the  mind  pliant,  of  which 
some  people  seem  to  have  dreamed,  do  not  exist,  and  are 
useless.  A  probationer,  who  will  not  be  governed  by  the 
spirit  of  power  and  of  love  and  of  a  sound  mind,  must  de- 
part from  us,  as  unfit  for  the  office  of  a  deaconess.  But  if 
she  proves  faithful  in  the  Mother  House,  she  will  be  sent, 
first  tentativel}^,  to  some  of  the  out-stations,  to  continue 
and  perfect  her  training,  and  here  she  will  have  to  prove 
whether  she  has  faith  and  love  enough  to  remain  firm  and 
worthy  of  her  calling  when  far  away  from  the  Mother 
House. 

Before  being  received  into  the  circle  of  Consecrated 
Sisters,  all  the  deaconesses  present  at  Kaiserswerth  are 
asked  for  their  consent,  and  have  a  right  to  produce 
reasons  against  the  reception.  We  have  already  spoken  of 
the  consecration  and  the  thoroughly  evangelical  nature  of 
the  promises  made  on  that  occasion. 

All  classes  of  society  are  represented  among  the  dea- 
conesses; but  the  office  makes  them  all,  without  distinc- 
tion, children  of  the  Mother  House,  Sisters  among  them- 
selves, and  servants  of  those  committed  to  their  care. 

Every  deaconess  owes  implicit  obedience  to  the  medical, 
surgical,  and  dietary  directions  of  the  respective  physician. 
In  attending  male  patients  she  is  excused  from  duties  that 
do  not  comport  with  her  sex,  an  assistant  nurse  being  fur- 
nished for  these  duties.     She  is  not  present  at  dissections. 

While  the  deaconess  is  the  assistant  of  the  physician 
in  the  physical  needs  of  the  sick,  she  is  also  the  assistant 


Appendix.  56? 

of  the  regular  minister  in  the  spiritual  wants  of  those 
intrusted  to  her  care.  If  a  sick  person  does  not  care  for 
spiritual  advice  from  the  deaconess,  she  is  instructed  to 
show  her  faith,  without  words,  by  her  conduct. 

The  deaconess  practices  her  profession  without  com- 
pensation. But  she  receives  shelter,  food,  and  her  official 
garb  from  the  Mother  House.  For  the  purchase  of  other 
necessary  articles  of  clothing  outside  of  her  official  garb, 
she  receives  a  small  amount  of  spending  money.  The  dea- 
coness does  not  accept  personal  gifts  from  her  patients. 

Every  deaconess  obediently  accepts  the  field  of  labor 
to  which  she  is  directed  by  the  Mother  House.  In  case 
of  contagious  diseases,  she  is  asked  whether  she  will  under- 
take the  dangerous  work.  It  ought  to  be  known  that,  as 
yet,  not  one  of  our  deaconesses  has  hesitated  to  offer  her 
service  in  contagious  cases.  No  deaconess  is  appointed 
to  the  care  of  feeble-minded  or  deranged  persons  if  she 
has  any  scruples  about  undertaking  such  work;  and  no 
deaconess  is  sent  to  foreign  countries  unless  she  is  per- 
fectly willing  and  has  the  consent  of  her  parents.  Only 
such  are  trained  as  teaching  deaconesses  who  feel  them- 
selves called  to  that  work,  and  whose  gifts  and  previous 
education  show  an  aptness  for  that  kind  of  work. 

As  every  pastor  who  is  true  to  his  calling  gladly  denies 
himself  many  recreations,  pleasures,  and  societies  which 
he  might  well  enjoy  without  burdening  his  conscience,  so 
every  faithful  deaconess  will  deny  herself  much  that  would 
otherwise  be  permissible,  when  it  does  not  harmonize  with 
the  nature  of  her  office;  neither  does  she  look  askance  at 
others,  whose  station  in  life  permits  them  greater  free- 
dom, nor  exalt  herself  above  others  in  an  unscriptural  spirit 
because  of  her  voluntary  self-denial.  On  the  other  hand, 
a  deaconess  enjoys  much  that  is  encouraging  and  invigor- 
ating, which,  in  our  present  Church  life,  devout  Christians 


568        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

must  often  do  without;  first  of  all,  she  is  sure  of  com- 
panionship^ which  is  secured  to  all  deaconesses  by  that 
household  rule  that  she  shall  never  be  sent  to  her  fi.eld  of 
labor  alone,  but  always  in  company. 

Every  Sister  who  is  taken  sick  in  one  of  the  outlying 
fiields  of  labor,  returns,  as  soon  as  she  is  able  to  travel,  to 
the  Mother  House,  that  she  may  recuperate  either  there 
or  in  one  of  the  two  recruiting  stations.  All  old  and  in- 
valid Sisters  are  maintained  by  the  Mother  House,  for 
which  purpose  the  Rest  House  was  established  as  early 
as  1854. 

After  the  foregoing  description  we  will  look  for  a  mo- 
ment at  the  lajge  number  of  Christian  maidens  and  child- 
less widows  who  to-day  are  standing  idle  and  a  burden 
to  themselves  in  the  market-place  of  life.  When,  over 
fifty  years  ago,  Minister  von  Stein  reviewed  these  ladies 
of  the  higher  classes  of  society,  he  was  offended,  as  he 
wrote  to  Amalie  Sieveking,  at  "the  expression  of  uneasi- 
ness on  the  part  of  sensitive,  grieved  because  of  unsatis- 
fied vanity,  unmarried,  decaying  maidens  of  the  upper 
and  middle  classes,  who  were  above  the  necessity  of  earn- 
ing .their  bread  by  their  own  work,  whose  claims  were  ig- 
nored in  so  many  ways,  who,  on  account  of  their  idleness, 
felt  so  unsatisfied  and  bitter  that  they  were  unhappy  them- 
selves and  a  burden  to  others.^^  This  description  is  not 
flattering,  but  it  is  true.  The  opinion  that  young  women 
should  confine  their  labors  to  the  home  and  the  family 
is  largely  responsible  for  the  onesided  turn  which  female 
education  has  taken,  so  that  in  families  where  there  are 
many  daughters  the  girls  are  compelled  to  occupy  them- 
selves with  employments  which  can  not  satisfy  the  hu- 
man heart. 

However  forcibly  and  feelingly  we  may  seek  new 
recruits  for  this  providential  movement,  yet  we  would  not 


Appendix.  569 

lure  a  single  soul  with  our  representations.  In  all  serious- 
ness and  sobriety,  we  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  the 
word  '^deaconess"  means  a  servant. 

There  is  little  virtue  in  '^^drying  tears,  dropping  balm 
into  wounds,"  if  we  soon  tire  of  it  and  quit.  But  there 
is  virtue  in  continuing  day  after  day,  week  after  week, 
year  after  year,  in  such  service.  There  is  virtue  in  nurs- 
ing the  sick  and  wounded  according  to  scientific  methods 
as  prescribed  by  the  doctor;  there  is  virtue  in  observing 
all  the  rules  and  precepts  of  order  and  cleanliness,  even 
though  it  be  humble  and  trying.  There  is  virtue  in  not 
shrinking  when  the  plague  rages  for  weeks  and  months, 
worse  than  iron  and  lead  on  the  battlefield,  and  transforms 
the  quiet,  cozy  sick-room  into  a  place  of  dreadful  woe, 
from  which  one  shrinks  affrighted.  There  is  virtue  in  not 
withdrawing  the  hand,  when,  in  such  work,  one  occasion- 
ally grasps  sharp  thorns  and  scorpions,  and  not  hiding 
one's  face  when  it  is  covered  with  sneers  and  spittle  in- 
stead of  thanks.  There  is  virtue  in  standing  firm  and  un- 
changeable when  one's  heart  is  sore  and  wounded,  because 
one  must  be  as  nothing.  There  is  virtue  in  preserving 
peace  and  joy  in  the  heart  when  the  insignificant  worries 
and  duties  of  the  daily  toil  threaten  to  ingulf  one  with 
yawning,  enervating  monotony.  In  a  word,  there  is  virtue 
in  doing  honest  work  where  there  is  real  need.  No  fervor 
of  enthusiasm  can  ever  accomplish  that;  it  requires  un- 
impassioned  love,  which  beareth  all  things,  believeth  all 
things,  hopeth  all  things,  endureth  all  things.  And  this 
honest  work  in  real  need  is  certainly  a  thousand  times 
more  beautiful  and  sweet  and  happy  than  poetic,  romantic 
enthusiasm.  The  words  of  Hamann  are  very  appropriate : 
"The  natural  course  of  things  surpasses  all  fairy  tales  and 
magic  arts." 


570        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

Constitution  of  the  Deaconess  Mother  Houses  Con- 
nected WITH  THE  General  Conference  of 
Kaiserswerth. 

Adopted  by  the  Thirteenth  General  Conference  on  the  18th  and  19th  of 
September,  1901. 

I.  relation  of  the  mother  house  to  the  public. 

1.  Legal  incorporation^  as  well  as  the  legal  rights  of 
charitable  institutions^  shall  be  secured. 

2.  It  is  desirable  to  sustain  an  active  yet  independent 
connection  with  the  State  Church. 

3.  The  pastor  of  the  Deaconess  House  is  the  proper 
pastor  for  all  the  Sisters,  even  those  who  are  employed 
in  the  outlying  stations,  especially  in  all  personal  and 
Sisterhood  affairs.  It  is  desirable,  in  the  interest  of  the 
common  work,  that  confidence  be  established  between  the 
Sisters  and  the  pastors  in  whose  district  they  are  employed. 

II.    BOARD    OF    MANAGERS    AND    DIRECTORS. 

1.  The  Board  of  Managers  may  be  composed  of  men 
and  women;  the  directors,  who  are  the  inspector  (super- 
intendent) and  the  Sister  Superior,  shall  be  advisory  mem- 
bers of  the  Board,  and,  if  i3ossible,  shall  have  the  right 
to  vote. 

2.  The  inspector,  being  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  is 
in  the  natural  and  ecclesiastical  order  of  things  (1  Cor. 
xi)  superior  in  rank  even  over  the  Sister  Superior.  The 
latter,  as  matron  of  the  house,  is  next  in  rank  over  the 
Sisters. 

3.  The  inspector  and  Sister  Superior  are  respon- 
sible to  the  Board  of  Managers  for  their  conduct.  They 
are  to  guide  the  affairs  of  the  institution  according  to  in- 
structions received.  The  Board  does  not  directly  inter- 
fere with  their  management. 


Appendix.  571 


III.    THE  SISTERHOOD. 

1.  After  the  period  of  probation,  the  deaconesses  are 
set  apart  for  the  service  by  the  act  of  consecration. 

A  period  of  probation  is  necessary  for  their  develop- 
ment and  to  prove  their  adaptability.  In  deciding  on  the 
fitness  of  probationers  for  consecration  it  is  well  to  have 
the  consent  of  the  Sisterhood.  Fallen  women  are  not 
received  as  deaconesses. 

2.  Every  Mother  House  gives  its  Sisters  a  certain  "uni- 
form garb,  which  is  not  to  be  laid  aside.  From  Sisters 
withdrawing  from  the  Mother  House  the  return  of  this 
garb  will  be  demanded,  and  all  possible  means  will  be  used 
to  prevent  their  wearing  the  garb  of  the  Mother  House 
thereafter. 

3.  As  members  of  the  Mother  House  the  Sisters  re- 
ceive no  salary,  but  will  be  provided  with  whatever  they 
need,  in  sickness  or  health,  at  work  or  recreation,  by  the 
Mother  House.  To  defray  ordinary  expenses  they  receive 
spending  money. 

4.  (a)  The  Sisters  are  to  realize  more  and  more  that 
the  calling  of  a  deaconess  is  to  be  their  life  work. 

(b)  Every  deaconess  who  becomes  incapable  of  work 
will  be  provided  for  as  a  child  of  the  Mother  House. 

(c)  The  Mother  House  expects  of  a  deaconess,  just  as 
parents  do  of  their  children,  that  if  she  receives  a  pro- 
posal of  marriage,  before  deciding  on  the  same  she  should 
notify  her  superiors  and  receive  their  advice.  Otherwise 
she  is  perfectly  free,  and  the  Mother  House  dismisses  a 
Sister,  who  has  decided  to  marry,  with  its  good  wishes. 
If  a  Sister  does  not  show  a  frank  disposition  toward  the 
Mother  House  in  this  matter,  she  shall  be  simply  dismissed. 

(d)  If  parents  or  guardians,  in  spite  of  their  previous 
consent  to  enter  the  deaconess  calling,  demand  the  return 


5*^2        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

of  their  daughters  for  an  unlimited  time  for  their  own 
care-taking,  the  Mother  House  will,  even  though  it  be 
thereby  hindered  in  its  work,  let  the  deaconess  choose  for 
herself.  If,  in  exceptional  cases,  the  commandment, 
"Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother,"  is  used  as  a  cloak  for 
quitting  the  calling  of  a  deaconess,  the  consequences  of 
such  unrighteous  act  will  fall  on  the  guilty  person. 

(e)  If  other  relatives  of  a  deaconess  demand  her  re- 
turn, she  has  a  perfect  right  to  remain  true  to  her  calling, 
since  they  exerted  the  same  measure  of  independence  in 
choosing  their  calling  in  life  and  remaining  faithful  to  it. 
In  this  case  the  Mother  House  has  the  right  to  refuse  its 
consent  to  her  return.  If  the  Mother  House  can  assist  the 
relatives  of  a  deaconess,  at  their  request,  in  cases  of  urgent 
sickness,  through  private  nursing,  it  is  always  ready  to 
give  such  relatives  the  preference,  either  by  sending  the 
related  deaconess  or  some  other  Sister.  But  the  relatives 
can  not  demand  such  service.  Neither  can  the  deaconess 
claim  the  right  to  serve  her  relatives. 

(f)  If,  in  the  unbiased  judgment  of  the  Mother  House, 
the  withdrawal  of  a  deaconess  has  been  willful  and  unjust, 
and  not  in  accordance  with  the  rules  of  the  house,  it  will 
notify  her  of  the  same,  giving  proofs;  it  will  also  notify 
the  Sisterhood  of  her  withdrawal,  and  recommend  her  to 
their  prayers  as  an  erring  one,  but  will  break  off  all  formal 
association  with  her. 

5.  The  Sisters  are  to  use  no  morphine  or  other  narcotic 
drugs,  either  for  themselves  or  their  patients,  except  on 
the  express  prescription  of  a  physician.  But  if  a  Sister  has 
conscientious  scruples,  she  is  to  turn  to  the  Mother  House, 
with  a  clear  statement  of  the  circumstances,  and  it  will, 
after  careful  consideration,  advise  her  what  to  do. 

6.  (a)  The  sending  out  of  Sisters  is  done  on  the  basis 
of  contracts,  made  with  the  management  of  stations.    The 


Appendix.  573 

sending  out  and  stationing  of  one  Sister  alone  is  avoided 
as  much  a"s  possible. 

The  professionally  necessary  supervision  of  the  Sisters 
by  managers  of  a  station  must  be  limited  by  the  instruc- 
tions which  come  from  the  Mother  House.  The  Sister 
Superior  is  the  authorized  representative  of  the  Mother 
House.  She  directs  the  individual  labors  of  the  Sisters; 
she  also  decides  on  whatever  preliminary  measure  of  dis- 
cipline may  be  needed. 

(b)  Deaconesses  and  probationers  are  permitted  to  per- 
form only  such  duties,  in  nursing  male  patients,  as,  in  the 
judgment  of  the  Mother  House,  comport  Avith  a  due  regard 
for  feminine  delicacy.  Positions  in  male  wards  of  hospitals 
are  only  accepted  where  male  nurses  are  employed  as 
assistants. 

(c)  Sisters  are  not  required  to  assist  at  dissections. 

(d)  In  all  stations  we  reserve  the  right  that  the  Sis- 
ters and  those  committed  to  their  charge,  belonging  to  the 
Evangelical  Confession,  shall  be  permitted  to  hold  their 
daily  devotions  according  to  the  directions  received  from 
the  Mother  House. 

IV.    MUTUAL    RELATION    OF    THE    MOTHER    HOUSES. 

1.  The  affiliation  of  the  Mother  Houses  finds  its  ex- 
pression in  the  common  prayer-meeting  at  the  beginning 
of  each  month. 

2.  The  annual  reports  and  other  publications  are  to  be 
exchanged. 

3.  When  a  Sister,  who  has  withdrawn  or  been  dismissed 
from-  one  of  our  houses,  applies  at  some  other  house  for 
admission,  the  latter,  if  aware  of  the  fact,  must  ask  for 
information  from  the  former.  If  the  former  should  ad- 
vise against  the  admission  of  the  applicant,  giving  impartial 
reasons  for  this  advice,  the  latter  will  refuse  her  appli- 
cation. 


574         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

4.  Besides  the  Triennial  General  Conference,  individual 
houses  may  join  each  other  in  holding  smaller  Conferences. 

5.  The  Armen-  und  Kranken-Freund  is  the  official  or- 
gan of  the  General  Conference. 

6.  For  the  better  maintenance  of  the  common  interests 
and  for  the  preparation  of  the  General  Conference,  the  lat- 
ter elects  a  Special  and  a  General  Committee. 

7.  The  Special  Committee  consists  of  four  members. 
It  gives  advice  and  assistance  to  all  connectional  Mother 

Houses,  when  they  ask  for  it,  in  difficult  cases. 

It  selects  trusty  men  whenever  needed. 

It  defends  the  existing  common  principles. 

It  conducts  the  business  of  the  General  Conference  with 
the  general  public. 

It  convenes  the  General  Committee  of  the  General  Con- 
ference whenever  needed. 

It  publishes  the  Armen-  und  Kranken-Freund. 

It  reports  to  the  General  Conference  on  all  its  actions. 

8.  The  General  Committee,  which  consists  of  nine  in- 
spectors, meets  at  the  call  of  the  Special  Committee  for 
consultation  on  important  questions  and  to  make  prepara- 
tions for  the  sessions  of  the  General  Conference. 

i^  5^'  ig  J^  i^ 

The  Deaconess  Mother  House.* 

Rev.  R.  Anthes,  Rector  of  the  Deaconess  Home  "  Bethesda,"    . 
at  Hamburg,  Germany. 

No  one  can  portray  exhaustively,  in  a  few  pages,  the 
extent  of  meaning  that  lies  in  the  one  expression  of  Dea- 
coness Mother  House.  The  Deaconess  Mother  House  is  a 
living  organism,  with  indefinitely  many  relations  inwardly 
and  outwardly.  It  may  be  said  that  it  is  not  easy  to 
get  an  adequate  idea  of  a  Deaconess  Mother  House  un- 

*  Excerpt  from  ''A  Greeting  from  Bethesda,"  Hamburg,  1900. 


Appendix.  575 

less  one  has  at  some  time  actually  lived  there.  We  must 
content  ourselves  to  sketch  a  few  fundamental  outlines  of 
the  character  of  a  Deaconess  Mother  House. 

1.  To  place  the  gifts  and  faculties  of  woman  in  the 
service  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  is  the  purpose  of 
the  Deaconess  Mother  House.  It  was  this  thought  that 
animated  Theodor  Fliedner  when,  in  the  year  1836,  he 
began  the  work  of  his  life.  In  his  first  Annual  Eeport 
(1837)  Fliedner  writes: 

"In  the  spirit  and  example  of  the  Apostolic  Church  we 
desire  the  Christian  service  of  love,  so  far  as  it  belongs  to 
woman,  to  be  performed  by  deaconesses  for  the  benefit  of 
all  classes  of  the  needy,  sick,  poor,  children,  imprisoned 
and  discharged  criminals,  and  to  this  end  to  train  and 
employ  evangelical  Christian  women." 

And  Fliedner  remained  true  to  this  fundamental  idea. 
In  1861,  on  occasion  of  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary 
(jubilee)  of  the  Kaiserswerth  Deaconess  Home,  he  clearly 
and  unequivocally  emphasized  the  ecclesiastical  character 
of  his  work  in  the  following  language : 

"The  Lord  has  permitted  us  to  awaken  in  our  evan- 
gelical Church  an  important  function  of  the  Apostolic 
Church — the  office  of  deaconess,  which  had  been  wrapt  in 
slumber."  "The  soil  upon  which  the  Deaconess  Work 
stands  is  the  Holy  Land ;  there  is  the  foundation,  the  holy 
Apostolic  Church,  which  will  be  the  model  for  Christians 
for  all  times  to  come.  We  wish  to  cultivate  simple  hand- 
maids of  merciful  love,  as  a  Phoebe  in  Cenchrea,  a  Tabitha 
in  Joppa,  an  Euodias  and  Syntyche  in  Philippi,  who  were 
helpers  of  all  the  wretched  and  forlorn  and  imprisoned — 
trainers  and  teachers  of  needy  children." 

In  spite  of  a  thousand  protests,  the  current  opinion  is 
still  in  vogue  that  a  deaconess  is  a  nurse  for  the  sick.  That 
is  about  the  same  as  if  to  the  question,  "What  constitutes 


576        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

a  pastor?"  the  answer  was  given,  "A  pastor  is  a  man 
who  has  learned  Latin  and  Greek."  Certainly  pastors  have 
learned  Latin  and  Greek,  but  that  does  not  make  them  pas- 
tors; for  many  other  people  know  Latin  and  Greek.  So 
deaconesses  are  trained  to  the  nursing  of  the  sick,  but  that 
does  not  make  them  deaconesses;  for  many  others  learn 
and  practice  the  nursing  of  the  sick.  What  makes  a  dea- 
coness, in  the  true  sense  of  the  word,  is  her  position  in  the 
service  of  the  congregation  of  the  Lord;  her  vocation  to 
promote  the  kingdom  of  God,  in  which  it  is  immaterial 
how  she  does  it,  whether  in  the  ministration  of  the  sick, 
or  the  education  of  children,  or  perhaps  (these  were  the 
chief  offices  of  the  deaconesses  of  the  old  Church)  by  usher- 
ing members  of  the  congregation  to  their  seats,  instruct- 
ing female  candidates  for  baptism  in  Christian  doctrine, 
and  facilitating  pastoral  communication  of  the  clergy  with 
the  female  members  of  the  Church.  It  is  not  the  work  as 
such,  of  whatever  kind  it  may  be,  but  the  ardent  heart  in 
the  service  of  Christ  and  his  Church,  ever  ready  and  will- 
ing to  do  every  labor  of  love  that  makes  the  deaconess  what 
she  is. 

•  As  a  matter  of  course,  deaconesses  must  be  able  to 
work.  The  ecclesiastical  character  of  her  service  does  not 
give  her  a  passport  for  an  awkward  usefulness.  Besides 
those  worldly-minded  spirits  whose  censure  is  briefly  and 
pointedly  put  by  Fliedner  in  the  following  language,  "The 
institution  works  splendidly ;  it 's  a  pity  there  is  so  much 
praying  in  it/' — there  are  also  those  who  in  excessive  de- 
mand of  spirituality  criticise  the  Deaconess  Homes  because 
they  attach  too  much  importance  to  outward  practices.  "If 
a  deaconess  has  but  her  heart  in  the  right  place,  that  is 
enough,''  say  these.  No,  and  again  we  say,  No !  The 
apostles  (Acts  vi)  required  of  those  appointed  for  alms- 
giving among  the  congregation,  not  only  that  they  should 


Appendix.  577 

be  of  good  repute  and  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  also  full 
of  wisdom.  If  a  pastor  wishes  to  fulfill  his  duties,  it  does 
not  sutfice  that  he  stand  firm  in  the  faith,  but  that  he  pos- 
sess a  certain  degree  of  intellectual  endowment  and  be 
thorough  in  his  studies.  Even  so  must  a  deaconess  have 
acquired  certain  accomplishments  in  order  to  fill  her  place. 
As  her  service  to  the  congregation  is  to  be  performed 
through  the  labor  of  love,  she  must  needs  be  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  its  demands  and  requirments.  Fliedner, 
emphatic  as  he  was  in  cultivating  tlie  proper  spirit  among 
his  deaconesses,  was  of  too  practical  a  nature  to  be  con- 
tented with  the  spirit  alone.  From  the  beginning  he  re- 
quired of  tlie  deaconesses  a  thorough  outward  training. 
And  it  is  conspicuously  his  merit  that  soon  after  he  had 
resuscitated  the  female  diaconate,  deaconesses  were  counted 
as  the  most  skillful  nurses  of  the  sick  and  the  most  capable 
school-teachers  for  little  children.  For  the  honor  of  him 
whom  the  deaconesses  serve  in  the  first  line,  it  is  necessary 
that  this  reputation  should  be  preserved  to  the  institutions, 
and,  if  not  already  acquired,  be  striven  after  earnestly. 
For  only  in  this  way  may  deaconesses  satisfy  their  duty  of 
furthering  God's  kingdom  in  the  most  efficacious  manner 
that  is  possible  for  woman ;  that  is,  by  quiet  action  with- 
out words. 

2.  The  IMother  House  is  that  organization  which  Flied- 
ner devised  for  the  work  of  the  female  diaconate.  If,  in 
the  preceding  paragraphs,  we  have  pointed  out  the  object 
of  Fliedner's  diaconate  and  characterized  the  spirit  of  its 
service  and  work,  the  phrase  "Mother  House"  presents  the 
way  in  which  it  is  to  carry  out  its  purposes  and  the  form 
in  which  this  spirit  is  to  find  its  expression. 

The  connection  of  the  diaconate  with  the  Mother  House 
is  Fliedner's  most  individual  work.  Neither  the  diaconate 
as  such,  nor  the  Mother  House  as  such,  is  of  his  invention. 
37 


578         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

The  one  existed  in  the  early  Christian  Church,  and  the 
other  belongs  to  the  ministering  orders  of  the  Eoman 
Church.  But  to  bring  both  together,  to  unite  them  as  body 
and  soul,  that  was  his  merit. 

If  Friedrich  Meyer,  the  successor  of  Loehe  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  Deaconess  Mother  House  at  N^euendettelsau, 
says  in  his  booklet,  '^'Deaconesses  and  Their  Vocation :" 
"Our  Deaconess  Homes  and  communities  are  modeled  after 
the  Roman  order  of  Sisters  of  Charity,  and  do  not  claim 
to  be  a  re-establishment  of  the  apostolic  office  of  deacon- 
esses." This  is  to  be  taken  as  a  one-sided  opinion,  for,  as 
a  matter  of  fact,  the  spirit  of  the  early  Church  diaconate 
has  been  revived  in  the  evangelical  Deaconess  Homes. 

If  we  would  properly  appreciate  Fliedner's  work,  we 
must  disregard  neither  the  spirit  nor  the  form  which  is 
represented  by  the  Mother  House.  The  vitality  of  the 
Deaconess  Mother  House,  which  has  asserted  itself  so  glo- 
riously in  the  mighty  and  irresistible  lifting  up  of  the  Dea- 
coness Cause,  is  to  be  found  in  the  combination  of  spirit 
and  form.  It  has  been  attempted  to  establish  Mother 
Houses  and  communities  on  a  purely  secular  basis.  It 
would  be  an  error  of  conception  as  to  form  to  place  them 
in  the  same  line  with  Deaconess  Homes.  Attempts  have 
also  been  made  to  retain  the  spirit  of  Deaconess  Homes 
in  the  dissolution  of  the  rigid  forms  and  rules  of  the 
Mother  Houses.  These  attempts  must  be  characterized  as 
errors  of  judgment.  For  the  spirit  can  only  be  retained 
in  suitable  forms;  without  them,  it  vanishes. 

The  Mother  House  is  that  form  which  best  suits  the 
substance  and  objects  of  the  female  diaconate,  especially 
for  the  conditions  of  the  times  in  which  we  live.  This  as- 
sumption requires  a  more  circumstantial  proof. 

The  first  reason  may  be  found  in  the  essence  and  needs 
of  woman.     It  is  a  question  of  woman's  service  in  the 


Appendix.  579 

Church.  Her  entire  equipment  calls  for  a  home  in  which 
she  may  feel  well,  a  roof  that  will  protect  her.  Man's  home 
is  the  world;  woman's  world  is  the  home.  If,  therefore, 
woman  is  to  occupy  a  useful  position  in  public,  such  as  in 
the  diaconate,  there  must  be  prepared  for  her  a  home  dwell- 
ing in  which  her  personal  life  and  vocation  may  be 
grounded.  This  home  is  provided  for  the  deaconess  by 
the  Mother  House.  Here  she  is  known,  here  she  is  under- 
stood, here  she  is  surrounded  by  devoted  love.  If  she  en- 
counters difficulties  in  her  work,  she  will  find  in  the  Mother 
House  comfort,  counsel,  assistance,  and,  if  need  be,  strong 
protection.  The  Mother  House  provides  for  all  her  needs, 
and  is  a  secure  refuge  for  her  in  the  event  of  infirmity  or 
old  age.  It  is  the  Mother  House  that  obviates  all  dangers 
of  emancipation  which  women  in  public  life  so  easily  en- 
counter. And  it  is  in  the  Mother  House  that  care  is  taken 
of  those  natures  whose  feminine  qualities  are  exceptionally 
fine  and  delicate,  and  who,  on  that  very  account,  are  par- 
ticularly well  qualified  for  the  ministration  of  love,  but 
who  also  need  the  influence  of  a  firm  hold  and  connection 
and  secure  guidance  to  find  the  way  to  a  consecrated  pub- 
lic usefulness. 

But  the  fitness  of  the  Mother  House  for  its  purpose  lies 
not  only  in  the  needs  of  woman's  nature,  but  in  the  re- 
quirements themselves  of  the  work  incumbent  on  the 
diaconate.  This  work,  above  all,  requires  a  thorough  train- 
ing, not  only  of  the  heart  and  mind,  but  also  of  the  out- 
ward faculties.  Nowhere  are  the  prerequisites  for  such  a 
training  so  favorably  at  hand  as  in  the  Mother  House,  with 
its  fruitful,  God-serving  life,  its  cultivation  of  personal 
service  among  the  deaconesses,  and  its  manifold  oppor- 
tunities to  learn  in  detail  and  practice  daily  the  service  of 
the  sick,  of  children,  etc.  Here  each  gift  and  endowment 
will  soon  be  revealed  as  well  as  the  lack  of  qualifications 


580         History  of  the  Deacon kss  Movement. 

required  for  the  ministration  of  love  in  the  Church.  The 
Mother  House  is  the  place  where,  with  those  who  are  look- 
ing forward  to  the  diaconate,  the  indispensably  necessary 
process  of  sifting  must  be  undertaken  and  the  improper 
elements  separated.  But  not  only  for  the  training  and 
sifting,  but  also  for  the  application  of  the  matured  forces, 
is  the  Mother  House  conspicuously  adapted.  That  which 
a  Mother  House  can  accomplish  with  one  hundred  deacon- 
esses reaches  far  above  what  could  be  done  by  the  same 
number  individually  in  congregations.  For  the  Mother 
House  requires  a  thorough  knowledge  both  of  the  available 
personal  forces  and  the  requirements  and  difficulties  of 
the  positions  to  be  individually  filled  by  the  deaconesses. 
Thereby  it  is  enabled  to  undertake,  in  the  most  efficient 
manner  possible,  the  distribution  of  its  forces  for  the  dif- 
ferent posts  of  labor.  As  far  as  it  lies  in  human  power  to 
do,  it  can  obviate  as  well  the  evil  of  allowing  the  gifts  of 
conspicuous  talent  to  lie  fallow  and  go  to  waste  in  a  field 
of  small  demands,  as  of  making  a  deaconess  face  difficul- 
ties to  the  demand  of  which  she  is  not  equal.  In  short, 
the  entire  prerogative  found  in  the  watchword,  "With 
united  forces,^^  attaches  itself  to  the  Mother  House;  and 
the  significance  of  this  prerogative  may  be  measured  by 
the  knowledge  of  the  fact  that,  in  spite  of  the  continual 
increase  in  the  number  of  deaconesses  from  year  to  year, 
it  is  still  far  from  meeting  the  present  demands.  And  so 
the  diaconate  deserves  at  least  the  praise  which  the  Lord 
gives  to  Mary,  wdien  he  says  (Mark  xiv,  8),  "She  hath  done 
what  she  could."  And  if  the  diaconate  does  wdiat  it  can 
in  the  most  suitable  application  of  its  forces  possible,  this 
is  not  only  owing  to  the  spirit  of  a  willing  service  for 
Christ's  sake  with  which  it  is  animated,  but  to  the  organiza- 
tion which  Fliedner  gave  it  in  the  Mother  House  founda- 
tion. 


Appendix.  581 

3.  The  i)rinciple  of  service  is  the  first  rule,  in  accord- 
ance with  wliich  everything  is  to  be  conducted  in  the  Dea- 
coness Mother  House.  All  regulations  and  directions  in 
the  Mother  House  point  to  this  service.  And  in  the  first 
place  the  deaconesses  are  to  serve.  They  are  to  be  servants 
of  Jesus  in  the  sense  of  doing  his  will  in  obedience ;  servants 
to  each  other,  and  servants  of  the  suffering  members  of 
the  congregations,  for  the  purpose  of  doing  them  good. 
They  are,  therefore,  not  to  be  the  handmaids  of  men,  but 
the  handmaids  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  the  benefit  of 
men.  To  this  lofty  vocation  they  sacrifice  all  their  time, 
all  their  strength,  and  themselves  with  body  and  soul.  This 
is  all  that  the  much-decried  "constraint"  of  the  Mother 
House  means.  It  does  not  bind  the  deaconess,  but  with 
gentle  force  loosens  the  bonds  which  would  hinder  her  in 
her  service.  It  does  not  rob  her  of  freedom,  but  gives 
her  freedom  for  service.  It  is  evident  that  in  a  Daconess 
Home  strict  discipline  in  its  management  must  prevail. 
It  must  be  a  discipline  that  from  the  beginning  would  pre- 
vent all  arbitrariness  of  action,  lest  any  member  of  the 
institution  follow  out  her  own  way,  and  in  order  that  all 
hands  may  be  united  to  the  one  purpose  of  the  Home — that 
of  serving.  It  is  foolish  talk  to  say  this  severity  is  in  con- 
tradiction to  the  princi})le  of  evangelical  liberty.  Did  ever 
any  one  maintain  that  discipline  in  the  army  is  opposed 
to  evangelical  liberty?  Well,  then,  what  is  right  for  the 
service  of  an  earthly  king,  should  certainly  not  be  declared 
wrong  for  the  service  of  a  heavenly  King.  The  more  so, 
because  military  constraint  is  of  a  much  severer  degree, 
for  every  young  man  in  good  health  must  conform  to  it; 
whereas  the  discipline  of  a  Mother  House  requires  sub- 
mission from  no  one  save  her  who  voluntarily  requests  to 
be  admitted.  The  regulations  not  to  participate  in  worldly 
amusements  nor  to  cultivate  time-robbing  friendships  with 


582        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

persons  outside  of  the  Mother  House,  nor  to  carry  on  un- 
necessary correspondence,  nor  accept  presents  from  those 
who  have  been  served,  and  other  things  of  like  nature,  are 
not  arbitrary  rules  without  purpose  and  hardships,  but  ap- 
pointments having  the  aim  of  not  misleading  the  heart 
and  thoughts  from  the  lofty  vocation  of  service.  The  rule, 
too,  which  does  not  allow  a  deaconess  to  seek  her  field  of 
labor  or  forsake  it,  but  that  she  is  sent  out  or  recalled 
under  the  direction  of  the  Mother  House,  finds  its  grounds 
of  justification  in  the  fact  that  only  in  this  way  may  the 
object  of  the  Mother  House,  to  give  service  everywhere  in 
the  best  manner  possible,  be  fully  realized. 

As  a  matter  of  course,  it  would  be  a  moral  injustice 
thus  to  restrict  the  deaconesses  in  their  determination  of 
themselves,  if  the  management  of  the  Mother  House  in 
its  own  actions  did  not  follow  out  the  same  principle  of 
service.  As  the  deaconesses  serve  the  Mother  House,  so  also 
does  the  Mother  House  serve  the  deaconesses.  The  superin- 
tendent (rector)  and  the  directress  (Sister  Superior)  are 
especially  called  to  this  service  of  the  deaconesses.  Ujwn 
their  hearts  should  be  deeply  written  the  words  of  our 
Savior :  "Ye  know  that  the  princes  of  the  Gentiles  exercise 
dominion  over  them,  and  they  that  are  great  exercise 
authority  upon  them.  But  it  shall  not  be  so  among  you: 
but  whosoever  will  be  great  among  you,  let  him  be  your 
minister.  And  whosoever  will  be  chief  among  you,  let  him 
be  your  servant."  (Matt,  xx,  25-28.)  Arbitrary  rule  in 
a  Mother  House  has  a  disintegrating  and  blasting  effect. 
Never  should  the  superintendents  of  a  Mother  House  ask 
themselves,  "What  do  I  want?"  but  always,  "What  must 
I  do  ?"  And  in  the  first  place,  "What  is  the  best  thing  for 
the  community  of  deaconesses?"  The  very  first  rule  for 
the  management  of  the  Mother  House  should  be  to  pre- 
serve and  increase  the  welfare  and  efficiency  of  the  com- 


Appendix.  583 

munity.  An  abundant  presentation  of  the  Word  of  God 
at  the  Divine  services,  a  thorough  instruction  in  all  things 
that  are  necessary  and  useful  for  a  deaconess  to  know, 
spiritual  exhortation  in  addresses  and  lectures  in  common, 
and  making  the  Mother  House  a  place  where  the  deacon- 
esses may  be  happy  and  feel  at  home, — all  these  things 
are  not  less  necessary  than  their  careful  training  in  the 
nursing  of  the  sick,  etc.  The  best  that  the  deaconess  does, 
she  does  with  her  heart,  and  not  with  her  hands.  It  is 
self-evident  that  this  care  of  the  community,  which  must 
be  nearest  the  heart  in  the  management  of  the  Mother 
House,  should  not  be  allowed  to  degenerate  into  sentimen- 
tality. On  the  contrary,  it  must  not  infrequently  take  on 
the  expression  of  a  certain  severity.  For  instance,  in  the 
matter  of  removing  a  deaconess  from  one  field  of  labor  to 
another,  the  management  of  the  Mother  House  must  often 
encounter  her  tears.  But  if  the  proposed  removal  has  been 
well  considered  and  is  adapted  to  the  whole  situation  of 
the  conditions,  and  the  deaconess  is  not  required  to  do 
anything  above  her  strength,  the  superintendents  will  re- 
main firm  against  her  urgent  pleading.  No  member  of  the 
community  can  be  exempt  from  the  obligation  of  sacrificing 
her  own  wishes  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole.  Then,  too, 
the  dismissal  of  a  deaconess  who  in  some  way  has  proven 
herself  unfit  for  the  office,  carries  with  it  a  degree  of  sever- 
ity that  can  not  be  denied.  But  it  is  just  the  case  for  the 
entire  community  that  often  makes  these  dismissals  a  stern 
duty.  Sympathy  in  such  cases  often  causes  afterwards 
great  heart-suffering.  Here  often  apparent  cruelty  is  true 
mercy.  To  serve  the  community  indeed  must  also  in  such 
questions  be  the  supreme  law  for  the  management  of  the 
Mother  House.  Xo  less  does  this  rule  obtain  in  the  selec- 
tion of  fields  of  labor.  If  the  assignment  of  one  or  more 
deaconesses  to  any  place  is  requested,  the  first  question  to 


584        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

be  asked  is,  Is  the  assistance  of  deaconesses  really  necessary 
there?  The  next  will  be,  Is  the  work  and  are  the  con- 
ditions in  this  field  of  such  a  nature  that  our  deaconesses 
may  be  able  to  satisfy  requirements  and  do  their  service 
with  inner  cheerfulness  ?  To  these  phases  are  to  be  subordi- 
nated the  further  questions,  Are  we  doing  any  one  a  favor 
or  causing  any  one  displeasure  by  undertaking  this  work? 
Is  the  work  in  question  adapted  to  gain  the  favor  of  the 
public  for  the  Mother  House?  The  same  principles  must 
also  prevail  when  there  is  question  of  abandoning  some  work 
that  has  been  undertaken.  The  preservation  and  uplifting 
of  the  jDrosperity  and  efficiency  of  the  community,  as  well 
as  the  provision  that  the  deaconesses  everywhere  be  equal 
to  their  lines  of  work  and  perform  their  service  of  love 
with  cheerfulness  is  often,  perhaps,  the  slow  but  only  sure 
way  for  the  prospering  of  a  Mother  House  and  the  win- 
ning of  friends  for  the  same.  For  it  is  only  the  success 
and  blessing  of  the  work  that  wins  the  hearts. 

Like  all  the  others  who  take  j^art  in  the  diaconate,  so 
also  the  Board  of  Managers  (Directory  or  Executive 
Board)  must  seek  its  honors  in  serving.  Its  efficiency  will 
be  the  more  blessed  the  more  it  determines  to  let  the  Mother 
House  live  its  own  life,  and  allow  the  principles  and  re- 
sources contained  in  the  diaconate  and  Mother  House  to 
develop  themselves  without  interference.  As  the  Board  of 
Managers  naturally  is  composed  of  members  principally, 
who  live  outside  of  the  Mother  House,  its  field  of  labor 
upon  which  its  duties  rest,  is  the  wide  domain  of  the  in- 
ternal affairs  of  the  Mother  House.  The  management  of 
the  finances,  the  approval  of  extraordinary  expenditures, 
the  undertaking  of  buildings,  the  settlement  of  legal  af- 
fairs, and  the  engagement  of  physicians,  are  its  important 
duties.  In  addition  to  these  is  the  election  of  a  pastor  and 
directress,  in  the  matter  of  which,  however,  as  it  deeply 


Appendix.  585 

concerns  the  inner  life  of  the  Mother  House,  the  co-opera- 
tion of  the  members  of  the  community  is  provided  for  in 
many  of  the  Deaconess  Homes.  Undoubtedly,  with  all 
these  duties,  the  Board  of  Managers  has  secured  a  decided 
share  in  the  management  of  the  Deaconess  Homes. 

The  diaconate  means  service.  Happy  the  Mother  House 
in  which  all  the  factors — Board  of  Managers,  superintend- 
ents, and  deaconesses — are  combined  for  service  and  for  the 
service  of  Him  who  came  not  to  be  served,  but  to  serve, 
and  to  give  his  life  for  the  redemption  of  many. 


The  Deaconess  and  teie  Professional  Nurse.* 

Rev.  W.  a.  Passavant,  Formei'ly  Rector  of  the  Lutheran  Mother 
House  In  MUwaukee,  Wis. 

Before  entering  into  a  discussion  of  our  subject  and 
attempting  to  point  out  the  similarities  and  diiferences  in 
two  sharpl3^-de fined  forms  of  woman's  work,  let  us  first 
define  the  meaning  of  tlie  terms  used  in  our  caption. 

A  deaconess,  according  to  the  definition  of  Rector  Jor- 
dan, of  Halle,  is  ''a  servant  of  Jesus  and  his  congregation, 
who,  free  and  clear  of  other  duties,  may  and  will  devote 
her  whole  time  and  strength,  in  the  power  of  faith,  urged 
by  the  love  of  Christ,  to  perform  deeds  of  mercy  for  her 
brethren  in  ])odily,  moral,  intellectual  and  spiritual  need. 
By  her  quiet  demeanor  and  devout  action  she  wishes  to 
honor  Him  who  has  communicated  to  her  a  bright  reflection 
of  his  mercy.'' 

A  prominent  English  ph3^sician  writes  as  follows  about 
the  trained  nurse :  "The  most  important  thing  in  every 
kind  of  nursing  of  the  sick  is  to  provide  an  adequate  staff 

♦Address  made  at  the  Conference  of  Evangelical  Lutheran  Deacon- 
ess Mother  Houses  of  the  United  States,  October  4th  and  5th,  1890,  in 
Omaha,  Neb.,  by  Rev.  W.  A.  Passavant,  rector  of  the  Deaconess  Home, 
Milwaukee.    From  The  Home  Missions  Monthly,  June,  1900. 


586        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

of  carefully-trained  women,  who  will  carry  out  the  instruc- 
tions of  the  physician,  to  whom,  and  to  whom  alone,  they 
ought  to  be  subject."  Florence  Nightingale,  who  put  high 
value  on  the  efficiency  of  a  nurse,  as  no  one  else  perhaps, 
answers  the  question,  "What  is  training  in  the  nursing  of 
the  sick?"  by  saying,  "Training  is  to  teach  the  nurse  to 
help  the  jjatient  to  live." 

The  deaconess  has  a  Biblical  office  (Kom.  xvi,  1,  2)  ; 
the  nurse,  a  worldly  vocation.  The  one  serves  through 
love;  the  other  works  for  her  support.  In  the  one  case 
we  have  an  exercise  of  cliarity  as  wide  in  extent  as  the  suf- 
ferings and  misery  of  mankind;  in  the  other,  a  usefulness 
circumscribed  by  the  narrow  circle  of  obedient  help  given 
to  physicians  and  surgeons.  Above  all,  the  deaconess  cares 
for  the  body  in  order  to  reach  and  save  the  soul.  She 
Avorks  for  eternity.  The  trained  nurse,  like  the  man  whose 
vocation  brings  him  to  the  sick-bed,  is,  as  a  rule,  quite  con- 
tent to  pass  by  unnoticed  the  possibilities  of  an  eternal 
future  in  the  demands  of  the  present  for  the  welfare  of 
her  patient. 

1.  The  first  radical  difference  in  the  two  domains  of 
woman's  work  is  an  historical  one. 

The  office  of  deaconess  is  eighteen  hundred  years  old; 
the  trained  nurse  is  the  product  of  the  last  fifty  years,  and 
but  the  logical  development  of  a  single  phase  of  the  dea- 
coness's activity.  It  is  not  necessary  to  here  repeat  the 
historical  facts  of  the  appointment  and  recognition  of  the 
deaconess  as  an  official  of  the  Church  in  the  apostolical 
times;  of  the  growth  of  this  class  of  female  workers  in 
the  succeeding  centuries;  of  the  gradual  disuse  of  the 
office  for  a  thousand  years;  of  its  resuscitation  in  modern 
form  by  Theodore  Fliedner,  and  enormous  spread  of  the 
deaconess's  activity  in  the  institutions  and  congregations 
of  the  world  at  the  present  day.    Its  history  is  glorified  by 


Appendix.  587 

the  most  sacred  memories;  for  in  the  martyr-list  of  the 
Church  there  are  also  the  names  of  deaconesses  who  did 
not  regard  their  lives  as  too  precious  in  the  days  of  most 
sanguinary  persecution. 

In  the  lirst  place  among  the  religious  practices  and 
works  of  mercy  performed  with  the  greatest  devotion  by 
these  servants  of  the  Church  for  many  centuries  stood  the 
nursing  of  the  sick.  As  early  as  A.  D.  385  they  had  hos- 
pitals for  the  suffering,  and  a  very  considerable  part  of 
their  time  was  consumed  in  the  nursing  of  the  plague- 
stricken  and  the  incurables  among  the  poor  and  the  forlorn 
in  the  great  congregations  of  the  Christian  cities  in  the 
Eastern  as  well  as  Western  Empire  of  the  Koman  world. 
The  paid  lay  nurse,  on  the  other  hand,  is  the  product  of  a 
comparatively  recent  date.  It  has  even  been  maintained 
that  the  honor  of  the  first  introduction  of  this  great 
progress  l)elongs  to  our  country ;  for  in  the  Administration 
Building  of  the  New  York  Hospital  the  following  ex- 
tract from  the  written  dedication,  under  the  portrait  of 
Dr.  Valentine  Seaman,  reads:  "In  the  year  1798  he  ap- 
pointed in  this  hospital  the  first  regular  training-school 
for  nurses,  from  which,  since,  other  schools  were  orsran- 
ized,  and  their  blessings  spread  over  the  land.^^  That  was 
thirty  years  previous  to  the  time  when  Elizabeth  Fry  gave 
directions  to  the  nurses  in  Guy  Hospital,  London,  and 
thirty-eight  years  before  the  opening  of  Fliedner's  Mother 
House  and  Deaconess  Hospital  in  Kaiserswerth.  Howso- 
ever this  may  be,  a  writer  in  the  publication  "Hospital," 
of  London,  recently  states :  "This  appears  to  be  a  fit  op- 
portunity of  reminding  English  nurses  of  the  fact  that, 
even  though  the  distinction  for  the  great  movement  which 
led  to  the  introduction  of  a  new  and  noble  calling  must 
be  indisputably  conceded  to  Pastor  Fliedner  and  his  train- 
ing-school for  deaconesses  at  Kaiserswerth.  they  neverthe- 


588         HisTOKY  OF  THE  I)eaconp:ss  Movement. 

less  owe  the  rapid  spread  of  trained  nursing  over  the  -whole 
world  to  the  example  and  initiative  of  their  fellow-sisters, 
and  in  the  first  plan  of  their  j^ioneer,  Florence  Night- 
ingale/' But  even  if  all  this  is  true  ahout  "the  rapid 
spread  of  trained  nursing"  after  the  year  18G0,  when  the 
Nightingale  Home  for  Nurses  was  opened  in  connection 
with  St.  Thomas  Hospital,  London,  it  is  equally  true  that 
when  Elizabeth  Fry,  at  the  instigation  of  Dr.  Gooch  and 
Eobert  Southey,  in  1840,  established  the  first  training- 
school  for  nurses,  she  had  been  encouraged  to  do  so  by 
Fliedner's  visit  to  London;  and  it  was  in  Fliedner's  Mother 
House  that  Florence  Nightingale,  and  many  other  pioneers 
in  the  work  later,  received  their  training. 

In  1848,  Bishop  Blomfield  founded  the  St.  John's 
House,  an  outspokenly  religious  institution  for  the  train- 
ing of  nurses  for  the  poor.  In  1873,  one  of  the  nurses  of 
this  house,  Sister  Helena,  came  over  to  the  United  States 
and  organized  the  first  modern  training-school  in  the 
United  States  at  Bellevue  Hospital,  New  York,  and  in 
1884  she  was  followed  by  Miss  Florence  Fisher,  of  the 
Florence  Nightingale  School,  who  introduced  trained  nurs- 
ing in  the  Blockley  Hospital,  Philadelphia,  whence  her 
disciples  spread  her  teacliings  all  over  the  land.  The  great 
training-schools  of  the  East  all  belong  to  our  generation: 
Blackwell's  Island,  1875 ;  Mount  Sinai,  1881 ;  German, 
1885;  St.  Luke's,  1888;  Presbyterian  and  St.  Vincent, 
1892;  Roosevelt,  1896. 

From  the  historical  standpoint,  the  modern  reform,  in 
the  nursing  of  the  sick  proceeded  from  Kaiserswerth.  The 
trained  nurse  is  obliged  to  derive  her  origin  from  the  re- 
ligious ideals  of  the  Deaconess  Mother  House  or  the  eccle- 
siastical community  of  Sisters. 

2.  These  domains  of  woman's  work  are  radically  dif- 
ferent in  their  scope. 


Appendix.  589 

The  statistical  review  wliich  triennially  is  published  by 
the  Kaiserswerth   General   Conference  of  Mother  Houses 
contains  a  number  of  figures  showing  the  exceedingly  great 
scope  of  activity  in  an  army  of  more  than  thirteen  thousand 
deaconesses.    There  is  no  kind  of  human  misery  that  it  does 
not  reach.     They  serve  with  loving  hearts,  wise  discretion, 
and  skillful  hands  the  sick  of  every  condition— epileptics, 
the  imbecile,  leiDers,  and  lunatics;  neglected  children  and 
abandoned  infants;  the  crippled,  aged,  fallen  women;  in- 
carcerated; orphans;  servants  out  of  employment;  unat- 
tended children;  young  girls,  and  a  number  of  others  in 
need,  besides  thousands  in  the  Christian  schools.     In  every 
land  these   evangelical   Sisters  are   bid   heartily   welcome. 
Their  work  is  recognized  and  supported  everywhere.     The 
deaconess  is  therefore,  as  we  see,  not  necessarily  a  nurse 
for  the  sick;  in  fact,  there  are  not  a  few  who  do  not  have 
the  necessary  qualifications  for  this  work,  and  who  would 
never  become  good  helpers  in  the  sick-room.     But  whether 
nurse  or  not,  she  is  nevertheless  a  deaconess.     If  her  train- 
ing should  include  the  command  of  requisites  for  the  nurs- 
ing of  the  sick,  she  is  all  the  better  equipped  for  the  various 
events  in  her  manifold  work.     All  the  ordinary  and  ex- 
traordinary gifts  and  endowments  may  come  to  use  in  the 
deaconess's  vocation,  for  the  demands  of  service  are  of  as 
many   different  kinds  as  the   individual  members  of  the 
community. 

In  fact,  it  is  one  of  the  special  privileges  of  this  voca- 
tion that  the  monotony  of  employment  is  broken,  and  that 
by  change  of  place  different  faculties  are  utilized.  In- 
numerable opportunities  are  presented  for  the  development 
of  slumbering  talent  and. for  the  discovery  and  utilization 
of  latent  gifts  of  the  deaconesses  in  the  wide  field  of  edu- 
cation and  charity  which  opens  wide  for  every  Mother 
House. 


590         History  of  the  IDeaconess  Movement. 

To  this  inviting  prospect  of  a  wide  circle  of  works  of 
charity  the  circumscribed  sphere  of  the  trained  professional 
nurse  points  a  sharp  contrast.  The  hospital  and  sick-room 
are  her  home.  If  she  possesses  the  necessary  endowments 
for  these,  well  and  good.  But  if  she  has  made  a  mistake, 
life  will  bring  to  her  nothing  but  disappointments.  Even 
her  successes  will  be  but  temporary.  Nursing  the  sick  is 
taxing,  and  not  infrequently  the  care  for  daily  bread  in 
the  idle  time  between  her  engagements  acts  more  violently 
on  her  body  than  when  she  is  employed.  Add  to  this  that 
her  work  is  really  an  occupation  for  the  young,  vigorous, 
and  hopeful  (on  an  average  her  services  are  in  demand  for 
not  more  than  fifteen  years)  ;  and  in  later  life  she  faces  the 
necessity  of  making  a  living  some  other  way — a  severe 
frustration  of  many  hopes,  and  a  sharp  contrast  to  the 
quiet  satisfaction  and  peaceful  close  of  the  life  of  a  dea- 
coness consecrated  to  her  lofty  vocation. 

It  is  far  from  our  intention  to  depreciate  the  standing 
and  work  of  the  trained  nurse.  She,  too,  has  a  high  and 
noble  calling.  We  would  chime  in  v/ith  the  elegant  words 
of  Florence  Nightingale,  who  so  often  admonished  the 
professional  nurses  of  the  sick  to  earnestness  and  true  de- 
votion. "Nursing,"  said  she,  "is  an  art;  and  if  it  is  to  be 
practiced  as  such,  it  requires  as  much  devotion  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  everything  else  and  as  laborious  a  preparation 
as  any  work  of  painting  or  sculpture.  For  what  is  the 
handling  of  dead  canvas  or  cold  marble  compared  with  the 
live  human  body,  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost?  The 
nursing  of  the  sick  belongs  to  the  fine  arts — yea,  I  would 
almost  have  said,  it  is  the  finest  of  them  all."  Many 
trained  nurses,  too,  perform  their  work  in  this  sense;  but, 
judging  from  the  warning  words  heard  so  frequently  on 
occasion  of  the  promotions  in  the  training-schools  and  re- 
peated by  the  press,  it  looks  as  though  serious  dangers  were 


Appendix.  591 

still  further  circumscribing  this  field  of  woman's  work. 
The  selfishness  and  love  of  money  so  often  manifested,  the 
demoralizing  sycophancy  towards  the  rich  and  depreciation 
of  the  claims  of  the  poor,  the  departure  from  truth  for  the 
sake  of  worldly  advantages,  threaten  to  undermine  the 
strength  of  their  true  womanhood  and  to  deprive  the  trained 
nurses  of  the  moral  power  which  they  should  exercise  as 
members  of  society  as  well  as  confessors  of  the  Lord  and 
Savior  Jesus  Christ. 

3.  Between  the  deaconess  and  the  trained  nurse  there 
obtains  farther  the  radical  difference  that  the  latter  is  the 
incorporation  of  individuality,  and  the  former  of  the  com- 
munity. 

Perhaps  it  is  the  lack  of  appreciation  of  this  most  pro- 
nounced and  strongest  feature  of  the  Deaconess  System 
that  will  explain  the  slow  numerical  growth  of  the  dea- 
coness communities  in  our  country. 

The  disadvantages  in  this  direction  for  trained  nurses 
are  evident.  Even  though  they  remain  true  to  their  high- 
est ideals,  the  training-schools  may  furnish  workers,  but 
hardly  such  as  are  able  to  work  in  community.  Their  life 
may  be  full  of  noble  devotion,  and  display  the  blessed 
power  of  independent  love  of  man  to  a  high  degree,  but 
it  ends  with  the  individual. 

This  solitude  and  standing  alone  of  the  trained  nurse 
it  is  difficult  to  conceal.  Thus  Eobert  W.  Taylor,  address- 
ing the  graduating  class  of  New  York  training-school,  says : 
"With  the  reception  of  your  diploma  you  enter  upon  a 
serious,  perhaps  the  most  serious,  epoch  of  your  life.  From 
this  moment  you  will  have  to  fight  the  battle  of  life  alone 
and  unprotected,  and  3^ou  will  stand  or  fall  just  as  you 
show  yourself  equal  to  the  conditions.  During  the  time 
of  your  training  you  were  shielded  by  the  protecting  arms 
of  this  great  institution,  but  that  is  now  past.''    True^  at- 


592         History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 

tem23ts  are  continually  being  made  to  consolidate  the  train- 
ing-schools and  to  pension  the  old  and  infirm  nurses;  and 
England  has  created  a  Royal  National  Pension  Fund  for 
nurses,  with  a  capital  of  $250,000,  and  an  annual  income 
of  $30,000.  But,  taken  as  a  whole,  these  attempts  have 
so  far  been  hardly  successful.  The  rivalry  among  the  in- 
stitutions, the  selfishness  of  the  nurses,  and  the  circum- 
stance that  too  frequently  the  nursing  of  the  sick  is  taken 
as  a  stepping-stone  for  something  better,  keeps  those  who 
are  fit  for  this  occupation  away.  Each  trained  nurse  seeks 
as  much  as  possible  to  utilize  the  present  and  turn  her  eyes 
away  from  the  future,  which  too  often  brings  with  it  a 
humiliating  dependence,  or  neglected  old  age. 

On  the  other  hand,  when  a  young  woman  becomes  a 
deaconess,  even  though  she  perhaps  may  have  to  sever  home 
ties  in  order  to  be  able  to  enter  the  Mother  House,  she  is 
admitted  as  a  member  of  a  family  circle  which,  year  after 
year,  will  be  more  precious  to  her.  In  community  with 
deaconesses  of  the  same  purpose  she  is  never  "alone."  Ever 
and  everywhere  does  the  strength  of  union  come  to  her 
assistance,  and  it  reaches  her  in  the  farthest  station.  The 
Mother  House  is  the  home  of  the  deaconess.  The  very 
nature  of  the  thing  makes  it  so.  In  answer  to  the  ques- 
tion put  to  a  deaconess  by  a  stranger,  "Where  is  your 
home?"  she  said,  "I  have  no  other  home  than  the  Mother 
House."  It  was  true,  for  she  was  an  orphan.  But  this 
will  be  unavoidably  so  with  all  of  them  in  the  course  of 
years.  Parents  die,  brothers  and  sisters  are  scattered,  and 
the  old  home  is  dissolved;  but  the  Mother  House  is  al- 
ways open  for  the  deaconesses.  Hither  they  may  retire  in 
sickness  and  in  health,  when  they  are  fatigued  by  the  work 
of  the  station,  or  age  oppresses  them ;  and  they  are  certain 
of  a  friendly  reception,  comfort,  and  help.  It  is  the  home 
dear  to  them  by  the  memories  of  }'outh^  which  has  be- 


Appendix.  593 

come  more  precious  in  the  lapse  of  years  by  its  training 
and  counsel,  and  which  is  now  doubly  theirs  inasmuch  as 
the  time  approaches  when  they  shall  be  clad  in  the  raiment 
that  is  of  heaven. 

Moreover,  this  common  interest  is  not  confined  to  the 
community  of  each  individual  Mother  House.  There  is 
here  a  world-embracing  consolidation  which  makes  each 
deaconess  feel  that,  though  she  may  only  be  a  lonely  sen- 
tinel, she  is  nevertheless  part  of  a  great  army.  She  knows 
that  she  is  not  forgotten,  and  that  far  away  from  her  own 
community — for  instance,  from  the  deaconesses  in  Jeru- 
salem, Constantinople,  or  Alexandria — she  would  receive 
the  same  loving  hospitality,  welcome,  and  domicile  as  at 
the  doors  of  the  Mother  Houses  of  her  native  country. 

4.  The  contrast  between  these  two  fields  of  woman's 
labor  is  most  clearly  manifested  in  that  one  is  spiritual 
and  the  other  worldly. 

I  do  not  mean  that  the  vocation  of  a  trained  nurse  is 
necessarily  void  of  religion  or  that  devoutness  might  not 
dignify  and  consecrate  its  obligations  and  increase  its 
blessed  usefulness  a  hundred-fold.  We  know  of  nurses  who 
have  fully  given  themselves  up  to  a  Christian  ideal.  We 
know  of  others  who  by  no  means  have  undertaken  their 
calling  through  selfish  motives,  but  solely  and  purely  be- 
cause in  this  way  they  might  be  a  blessing  for  the  souls 
as  well  as  the  bodies  of  their  patients.  They  preach  the 
gospel  of  a  holy  life  with  the  same  simplicity  and  earnest- 
ness with  which  they  practice  the  heartfelt  mercy  of  their 
Master. 

There  are,  in  fact,  institutions  who  have  made  Christian 
faith  and  a  Christian  life  indispensable  conditions  for  the 
training  of  their  nurses.  Ever  so  many  training-schools 
in  connection  with  denominational  hospitals  are  permeated 
with  a  seriously  Christian  spirit.  The  results  of  these 
38 


59-1  liltSTOKY    OF    THE    .DeACO.\E!SS    MOVEMENT. 

praiseworthy  efforts  will  gradually  appear  in  a  better  tone 
to  the  whole  work. 

,  Nevertheless,  the  principal  requisite  for  a  good  nurse 
is  considered  to  be  the  training  of  head  and  hand,  and  the 
object  of  the  training-school  the  preparation  of  a  number 
of  technically-equipped  assistants  for  the  doctors.  The 
average  trained  nurse  does  not  think  by  any  means  that 
piety  and  appropriation  of  spiritual  things  are  any  more 
desirable,  efficacious,  or  necessary  in  her  occupation  than 
with  the  teacher  or  stenographer.  Too  many  look  upon 
nursing  as  being  principally  a  business,  for  which  religion 
is  an  inconvenience,  and  whose  advancement  is  often 
seriously  impaired  by  their  demands. 

The  deaconess  is  called  to  the  performance  of  a  Bib- 
lical and  ecclesiastical  office.  The  true  deaconess  is  a  blos- 
som of  the  Church — not  of  the  externally  devised,  but  of 
the  religious  life  of  a  country.  And  if  the  latter  flows 
deep  and  strong,  the  Deaconess  Cause  will  flourish  like  all 
other  noble  fruits  of  the  Spirit.  The  training  of  the 
Mother  House  is,  therefore,  of  a  different  kind  from  that 
of  the  training-school  for  nurses.  iVny  woman  who  has 
learned  the  technical  facilities  necessary  for  the  sick-room 
may  receive  the  diploma  of  a  trained  nurse,  and  from  the 
standpoint  of  the  physician  and  patient  may  achieve  splen- 
did success.  She  may  be  a  lukewarm  Christian,  a  worldly- 
minded  trifler,  or  a  scoffer  at  religion,  yet  she  remains  a 
trained  nurse. 

Not  so  with  the  deaconess.  How  desirable  soever  tech- 
nical knowledge  and  fruitful  experience  may  be  to  the 
Mother  House,  it  makes  higher  demands  than  a  merely  ex- 
ternal efficiency.  To  begin  with,  the  requirments  of  char- 
acter and  the  inner  life  must  be  satisfied;  for  their  train- 
ing proceeds  inwardly  to  outwardly,  and  not  vice  versa. 
First  come  self-control,  the  education  of  the  conscience, 


Appendix.  595 

the  sanctification  of  the  heart;  then  the  acquired  efficiency 
in  external  things.  Without  the  former,  the  latter  would 
be  worthless  for  a  deaconess;  for  she  would  be  a  servant 
of  Christ  only  in  name,  and  she  would  unavoidably  have 
to  dispense  with  an  office  whose  first  requisite  she  lacks. 
Not  her  attractions — her  talent,  health,  or  ability,  or  what 
she  performs  in  any  field  of  labor — hut  what  she  is,  deter- 
mines her  influence  as  a  member  of  the  Mother  House  com- 
munity and  her  efficiency  outside  of  it  as  a  deaconess.  The 
trained  nurse  may  be,  but  the  true  deaconess  must  he,  a 
genuine  Christian. 


Deaconess  Institutions  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 


Name  and  Location 

OF 

Deaconess  Institutions, 


2;= 


ce 


2S 


I.  In  America. 
Aurora,  III. 

Young  Woman's    School   (Jennings    Seminary), 

Charlotte  A.  Codding,  Supt 

Baltimore,  Md. 

Baltimore  Deaconess  Home,  708  West  Lombard 

Street,  Annie  Leidigh.  Supt 

Mount  Tabor  Industrial  Building 

Bangor,  Me. 

Deaconess    Home,  96  Larkin  Street,  Norma  H 

Fendrick,  Supt 

Boston,  Mass. 

New  England  Deaconess  Home,  693  Massachusetts 

Avenue,  Josephine  Fisk,  Supt 

Deaconess   Hospital,  691   Massachusetts  Avenue 

Miss  A.  A.  Betts,  Supt 

Bible-training      School,     175     Bellevue     Street 

Orianna  F.  Harding,  Supt 

Bridgeport,  O. 

Holloway   Deaconess    Home,  Dorothy  Graham 

Superintendent 

Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
(English  ) 
Brooklyn  Deaconess  Home  and  Training-school, 
238  President  Street,  Mrs.  F.  A.  Fowler,  Supt. . . 
(German.) 
Bethany  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital,  Myrtha 

Binder,  Supt 

Buffalo,  N.  y\ 

Genesee  Conference  Deaconess  Home,  2978  Main 

Street,  Mary  L.  Mullen,  Supt 

Chicago,  III. 
(English.) 
Chicago  Deaconess  Home   227  East  Ohio  Street, 

Isabel  Leitch,  Supt 

t  Chicago  Training-school,  4949  Indiana  Avenue. 
(Incorporation,  non-deaconess.  Internal  man- 
agement, deaconess)  

Wesley    Hospital,     Dearborn    and    Twenty-fifth 

Streets,  Mrs.  Olive  Ely,  Supt 

Methodist  Episcopal  Old  People's  Home,  Edge- 
water,  Isabella  Reeves,  Supt 

(German.) 

Deaconess  Institute 

Cincinnati.  O. 
(English.) 
Deaconess    Training-school   for    Colored    Girls, 

Rev.  W.  H.  Riley,  Supt-rintendent 

Christ's  Hospital,  Mount  Auburn,  Hannah  M. 
Peirce,  Supt 


$50,000 
29,000 


16,000 
43,000 

700 

7,50' 

»39,500 
42,000 
15,000 

19,000 


t250,000 
69,000 
5,00f 


$4,000 


21.0C0 
3,000 


4,000 


120 
22 


•  Building,  $20,000,  leased  of  Church  Extension  Society. 
t  Only  deaconesses  and  probationers  reported. 
t  Property,  $250,000,  leased  of  trustees. 

597 


598 


IIiSTOiiY  or  THE  Deaconess  Movement. 


Name  and  Location 

OF 

Deaconess  Institutions. 

^ 
J 

II 
11 

13 
3 

i 

Ci)icin)uUi—CGnth\ucd. 

Deaconess    Home,    Wesley    Avenue,  Mrs.    Kate 
liawls  Haynes    Sunt                                   

18 

Deaconess    Training-school,     Margaret   Wilson, 

13 

Rest  Home,  Lakeside          

$600 
800 

102,500 

11,200 

15,000 

375 

800 

4,000 

10,800 
6,000 

52,000 
200 

17,000 
9,000 
8,000 
9,000 

(German.) 
Methodist   Deaconess  Home  ("Mother  House") 
and   Bethesda  Hospital,   Rev.  W.  H.  Traeger, 
Supt.,  Louise  Golder,  Head  Deaconess 

24 

31 

Cleveland,  0. 

Cleveland  Deaconess  Home,  268  Woodland  Ave- 
nue, Miss  L.  Willmott,  Acting  Supt 

Colorado  S}:i)-ings,  Col. 

National  Deaconess  Sanitarium,   Mary  Curniek, 
Superintendent 

9 

1 

G 

$5,000 

1 

Columbus,  0. 

Columbus  Deaconess  Home,  1087  Dennison  Ave- 
nue, Elizabeth  A.  Smith,  Supt 

Denver,  Col. 

Colorado  Conference  Deaconess  Home,  Mrs.  A. 
E.  Hull,  Supt 

9 

Des  Moines,  la. 

Bidwell  Deaconess  Home  and  Iowa  Bible-train- 
ing School,  1155  West  Ninth  Street,  Mrs.  H.  Ida 

600 

11 

Detroit,  Mich. 

(Detroit  Deaconess  Home,  53   Elizabeth    Street, 

\  Tillman  Avenue  Mission,  Mrs.  H.E.  Keller,  Supt. 
Fall  River,  3[ass. 

Fall  River  Deaconess  Home,  Mrs.  Eva  C.  Frields, 
Superintendent                     

6 
3 
3 
5 

1 

4 

4 

Freeport,  III.                                                             _ 

Freeport    Deaconess    Home,  Olive  G.  Webster, 

Grand  Rapids,  Mich.                                                      .    . 

Aldrich  Memorial  Deaconess  Home  and  Trainmg- 

19 

Oreat  Falls,  Mont. 

Montana     Deaconess    Hospital,  Augusta  Anss, 

7,000 

6 

Indianapolis,  Ind.                                                        -  c.^.  *. 
Methodist  Hospital  and  Deaconess  Home  of  State 

S 

JeffersonviUe,  Ind.                                           ^^     .,,     __., 
Jeffersonville    Deaconess  Hospital,  Manila  Wil- 

1 
3 

4 

Jerseri  City,  N.  J. 

Newark     Conference     Deaconess     Home,    Mrs. 

2 

Kansas  City,  Kan. 
(English.) 

32,700 
600 

1,800 
218 

}  Fisk  Tfiiining-school,  Winifred  Spaulding,  Supt. 
(German.) 
Deaconess  Home  r"Emanuel"),  716  West  Seven- 
teenth Street,  Miss  M.  Dreyer,  Head  Deaconess. 
KnoxviUe,  Tenn. 

Knoxville  Deaconess  Home,  Rhoda  E.  Sigler,Supt. 

4 

5 

1 

18 

Affiliated.    Property  owned  by  separate  boards,  and  not  herein  counted. 


1nstitutio>'s  ax  J)  Okgaxizatioxs. 


509 


Name  and  Location 

OP 

Deaconess  Institutions. 


L(i  Crosse,  Wis. 
(English.) 

Thoburn  Deaconess  Home,  Eva  Ford,  Supt... 
(German.) 

Deaconess  Home .' 

Lake  Bluff,  III. 

Agard  Sanitarium,  Matilda  Westlake,  Supt 

Methodist    Deaconess    Orphange,   Lucy  Judson, 

Superintendent 

Los  Anaeles,  Cal. 
(English.) 
Southern  California  Conference  Deaconess  Home, 

Mrs.  A.  E.  Foote,  Supt 

(German.) 

Deaconess  Home 

Louisville,  Ky. 
(German.) 
Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital,  Miss  Borcherding, 

Matron 

Building  Fund 

Miltvaukee,  Wis. 
(English.) 
Milwaukee  Deaconess  Home,  186  Biddle  Street, 

Mary  J.  Comstock,  Supt 

(German.) 

Deaconess  Home,  Grand  Avenue 

Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Asbury  Hospital,  Mrs.  S.  H.  Knight,  Supt 

Rebecca  Deaconess  Home,  Sybil  Palmer,  Supt 

Newark,  N.  J. 

Newark  Conference  Deaconess  Home,  Mrs.  S.H. 

Doane,  Supt 

New  York,  N.  Y. 

New  York  Deaconess  Home,  1175  Madison  Ave- 
nue, Mary   E.  Lunn,  Supt 

Training-school,  1175   Madison  Avenue,  Florence 

Slusser,  Principal 

"Working  Girls'  Home,  Tirzah  Dinsdale,  Supt 

Rest  Cottage  (Long  Branch) 

Normal,  III. 

N.  A.  Mason  Deaconess  Home  for  the  Aged,  Marv 

JefTerson,  Supt ". 

Noi'th  Yakijna,  Wash. 

Deaconess  Hospital,  Mary  Venama,  Supt 

Ocean  Grove,  N.  J. 

Bancroft  Rest  Home 

Omaha.  Neb. 

Methodist  Hospital ) 

Deaconess  Home,  Mrs.  A.  P.  McLaughlin,  Supt.  ) 
Peoria,  III. 

Deaconess  Home 

Deaconess  Hospital,  Lucy  A.  Hall,  Supt 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Philadelphia    Deaconess  Home,  611  Vine  Street, 

Mrs.  Emma  Turney,  Supt 

Pittsburo,  Pa. 

Pittsburg   Deaconess    Home,  2000   Fifth  Avenue, 

S.  E.  Eyler,  Supt 

Portland,  Me. 

Deaconess  Home,  Miss  R.  E.  Santee,  Supt 

Providence,  R.  I. 

Providence  Deaconess  Home,  85  Harrison  Street, 
Miss  Wood,  Stipt 


$14,000 

40,000 


7,000 
45,000 


lO.OOll 
1-2,000 


$1,500 


112,000 


500 
100,000 


3,000 


15,000 
90,000 


25,500 
25,862 

13,500 

20(1 


600 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


Name  and  Location 

OF 

Deaconess  Institutions. 

III 

:   a 

d 

a" 

is 

CO  ^ 

3 
1 
1 
3 

Provo,  Utah. 

East  Ohio  Mission  and  Deaconess  Home,  Mrs. 

$2,000 
3,500 

79,000 
5,200 

24,000 

4,200 
15,200 

18,000 

200 

50,000 

1 

Pueblo,  Colo. 

Pueblo  Deaconess  Home,  Anna  Burgess,  Supt 

Qxiincy,  III. 

Chaddock    Boys'    Home    and    School,    Eleanor 
Tobie,  Supt 

2 

7 
4 

9 

2 
3 

3 

1 

1 
2 

3 

1 

1 

120,000 

6 

Rensselaer,  N.  Y. 

Griffin  Deaconess  Home,  Mrs.  H.  E.  Lyon,  Supt. . 
San  Francisco,  Ceil. 

San  Franciso  Home  and  Training-school,  Rev.  J. 
N.  Beard,  D.  D.,  President 

1 

11,000 

23 

St.  Joseph.  Mo. 

Ensworth  Methodist  Hospital 

4 

9,700 

Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 

Davis  Deaconess  Home,  Miss  C.  E.  Robinson, Supt. 
San  Juan,  Porto  Rico. 

J 

2 

Seattle,  Wash. 

Seattle  Deaconess  Hospital 

4 

7 

Sioux  City,  la. 

Shesler  Deaconess  Home,  Mattie  Carpenter,  Supt. 
Spokane,  Wash. 

Maria  Beard  Deaconess  Home 

5,150 
15,000 

2 

7 

Old  People's  Home,  Clara  Brown,  Supt 

5,000 

26,000 

40,000 

72,250 

41,000 

4,000 

300 

55,500 

1 
3 

1 

6 
65 
5 

1 

Urbana,  III. 

Cunningham    Deaconess    Home  and    Orphange, 
Miss  Emma  H.  Jones,  Matron. 

2 

Verbank,  y.  Y. 

Watts  de  Peyster   Home   for  Invalid  Children, 
Miss  Letitia  H.  Hicks,  Supt 

2 

Washington,  D.  C. 

rLuoy  Webb  Haves  National  Training-school  and 
j      Deaconess  Home,  C.  W.  Gallagher,  D.  D.,  Dean 
]  Sibley  Memorial  Hospital,-  Miss  Carra  Pew,  Di- 
1     rector 

72 

Wichita,  Kan. 

Southwest  Kansas  Conference  Deaconess  Home 

1 

Wilmington,  Del. 

Wilmington  Deaconess  Home,  Mrs.  J.  M.  Plyley 
Yellow  Sprimis,  Ohio. 

Methodist   Episcopal   Home   for  the  Aged,  Myra 

1 

1,500 

Deaconesses  not  in  Established  Homes 

12 

1 
1 
1 

12 

Stations. 

(Deaconess  work  is  tabulated  under  "Stations"  if  it 
includes  centers  where  only  one  deaconess  is  at  work, 
or  where  there   is   some  property,  but    no    deaconess 
regularly  stationed.) 
Atlanta,  Ga 

Boone,  la 

Burlington,  la 



1 

Charles  City,  la 

1 

Cincinnati,  0     

1 
1 

Institutions  and  OrganizatioIsts. 


601 


Name  and  Location 

OF 

Deaconess  Institutions. 


^ » » 


OCT 

I 


stations — Continued. 

Cottage  City,  Mass.,  Rest  Home 

Dubuque,  la 

Duo,  W.  Va 

Eagle  Grove,  la 

East  Street,  St.  Louis,  Mo 

Erie,  Pa 

Fresno,  Cal 

Honolulu,  Hawaiian  Islauds 

Keam's  Canyon,  Ariz 

Knoxville,  Tenn 

Lakeside,  O 

Las  Vegas,  N.Mex 

Ludington,  Mich.,  Elvira  Olney  Rest  Home 

Moberly,  Mo 

Mount  Carniel,  I'a 

Mountain  Lake  Park,  Md.,  Thompson  Rest  Home. 

Ottumwa,  la.,  Jessie  Wyckoff 

Pittsburg  (German) 

Rockford,  111 

Round  Lake.  N.  Y.,  Caroline  Rest  Home 

St.  Louis,  Mo 

St.  Paul,  Minn 

Salem,  Ore 

Southern  Illinois  Conference 

Toledo,  O 

^Vest  Superior,  Wis 

Wlieeling,  W.  Va 

Wilmington,  Del 


$1,000 


1,025 


3,976 


II.  IN  EUROPE. 

Berlin,  Deaconess  Home,  Ebenezer , 

Frankfort-on-the-Main, Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital 

(The  Mother  House.) 

Hamburg,  Bethany  Home  and  Hospital 

Heilbronn,  Deaconess  Home 


65,000 

170,000 

»500 


Koeln 

Lausanne,  Deaconess  Home 

Magdeburg,  Deaconess  Home 

Muenchen,  Deaconess  Home 

Neuenheim,  "  Gottestreu,"  Rest  Home 

Neuenberg,  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital. 

Pforzheim 

St.  Gallen,  Deaconess  Home 

Strasburg,  Bethany  Home 

Vienna,  Deaconess  Home 

Zurich,  Bethany  Home 


Stations. 


Adlisweil 

Faulkenstein 

Karlsruhe 

Pirmasens  . .. 
Wadensweil  . 
Zwickau 


III.  In  Foreign  Mission  Fields. 

1.  In  India 

Calcutta  Deaconess  Home,  Elizabeth  Maxey,  Supt.... 

Flora  Deaconess   Home,  Darchula,   Martha  Sheldon, 

M.  D.,  Supt 


1400 
16,500 
14,250 

6,500 
27,500 


8,250 
10,000 
4,000 
6,500 


16,500 

t475 

+I,fi25 

10,200 


12,300 


No  property. 


tNo  property;  inventory. 


602 


History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


Name  and  Location 

OF 

Deaconess  Institutions. 

PI 

0 
a; 

0.^ 
So 

is. 

p 

3 
t 

o 

s 

CO 

3 

In  Foreign  Mission  i^ie/ds— Continued. 
William  Gamble  Memorial  Deaconess  Home,  Kolar, 
Fanni^  Fisher,  Supt 

$7,500 
12,500 
5,000 

12,000 
5,000 

10,000 

2 
2 
2 

3 
S 

3 

2 

} 

1 
1 
3 

3 

1 
1 

Madras  Deaconess  Home,  Grace  Stephens,  Supt 

Moradabad  Deaconess  Home,  Mary  Means,  Supt 

Muttra  Deaconess  Home  and  Training-school,   Mary 
Eva  Greg-g,  Supt 

2 

Pithoragarh  Deaconess  Home,  Lucy  Sullivan,  Supt 

Mary  C.  Niud    Deaconess    Home,  Singapore,  Sophia 

Lucknow  Deaconess  Home,  Helen  Ingram,  Supt 

1 

Stations. 
Aligarh 

Bangalore 

Cawnpore 

Gonda 

2,500 

Muzafarpur 

Naini  Tal 

Pauri 

2 
2 
1 
1 

5 
5 

6 

Rangoon 

2.  In  China. 
Flora  Deaconess  Home,  Chungking 

Isolated  Workers 

2 

3.  In  Africa. 
Isolated  Workers 

Grand  total  in  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (1902) 
Grand  total  (1901) 

2,4!»2,506 
2,276,942 

270,250 
238,019 

685 
657 

739 
706 

165,564 
124,333 

41,231 

28 

33 

Net  Increase  in  value  of  property  in  1902 

statistics  of  the  Evangelical  Deaconess  Mother 

Houses  belonging  to  the  Kaiserswerth 

Conference.    1901. 


Mother  Houses. 


Kaiserswerth 

Berlin  (Elizabeth  Hospital) 

raris  (Rue  de  Reuilly  95) 

Strasburg  in  Alsace 

St.  Loup 

Dresden 

Bern  

Utrecht 

Berlin  (Bethany) 

Stockholm 

Breslau  (Bethany) 

Koenigsberg 

Ludwigslust 

Karlsruhe 

Riehen  near  Basil 

Neuendettelsau 

Stuttgart 

Augsburg 

Halle 

Darmstadt 

Zurich  

St.  Petersburg 

Speyer  

Kraschnitz 

Hanover 

Hamburg  (Bethesda) 

Danzig 

Copenhagen  

Cassel 

Hague 

Mitau 

Berlin  (Lazarus  Hospital) 

Posen 

Pesth 

Frankenstein 

Riga 

Reval 

Helsingfors 

Altona 

Sarata  

Bremen 

Christiania 

Stettin-Neutorney  (Infirmary  Salem).. 

Wiborg  

Bielefeld 

Stettin-Neutorney  (Bethany) 

Brunswick 

Frankfort-on-the-Main 

Flensburg 

Paris  (Rue  Bridaine) 

Harlem 

Nowawes  

Berlin  (Paul-Gerhard-Inflrmary) 

Hamburg  (Bethlehem) 

Gallneukirchen 


1836 
1837 
1841 
1842 
1842 
1844 
1844 
1844 
1847 
1849 
1850 
1850 
1851 
1851 
18.-52 
1854 
1854 
1855 
1857 
1858 
1858 
1859 
1859 
1860 
1860 
1860 
1862 
1863 
1864 
1865 
1865 


1867 
1867 
1867 
1867 
1868 
1868 
1868 


1870 
1870 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1876 
1877 
1877 


?3 


1,071 

154 

85 

260 

180 

530 

348 

70 

340 

245 

440 

658 

283 

284 

339 

505 

735 

209 

209 

263 

238 

42 

250 

272 

372 

573 

323 

275 

219 

50 

42 

100 

317 

25 

244 

47 

42 

50 

114 

30 

70 

414 

337 

10 

900 

297 

106 

138 

181 

15 

56 

192 

283 

99 

57 


416 

217 

200 

241 

345 

496 

128 

147 

184 

178 

26 

168 

93 

248 

31 

195 

1.59 

86 

26 

31 

67 

137 

12 

143 

24 

24 


51 
59 
54 
231 
77 
13 
110 
106 
119 
276 
98 
107 
84 
173 
172 
96 
93 
116 
74 
6 

122 
152 
30 
164 
110 


159 
19 
14 
15 
55 
12 
18 
141 
15 
7 
319 
151 
44 
59 
75 
6 

16 
126 
117 
27 
18 


604        History  of  the  Deaconess  Movement. 


Mother  Houses. 


Ingweiler 

Mannheim 

Arnheim 

Arolsen 

Berlin  (Magdalen  Infirmary) 

Kreuzburg 

Groningen 

Amsterdam  (Lutheran) 

Philadelphia 

Kreuznach 

Witten 

Oldenburg  

Leipsic 

Eisenach 

Frankfort-on-the-Oder 

Amsterdam  (Reformed) 

Berlin  (Elizabeth  Children's  Hospital) 

Niesky 

Miechowitz 

Baltimore 


1877 
1884 
1885 
1H87 
1888 
1888 


1890 
1890 
1891 
1891 
1891 
1891 
1883 
1890 
1895 


2.^ 
29. 


Progress. 


Mother  Houses  Belong- 

ing TO  THE  KAISERS- 

Sisters. 

Fields  of 

Annual    Income. 

WERTH  CON- 

Labor. 

("Reiciismark.") 

FERENCE. 

1864 

30 

1,592 

368 

813,273 

1868 

40 

2,106 

526 

1,258,242 

1872 

48 

2,657 

648 

2,103,729 

1875 

50 

3.239 

866 

3,616,256 

1878 

51 

,3,901 

1,093 

4,110,147 

1881 

53 

4,748 

1,436 

4,824,176 

1884 

54 

5,653 

1,742 

5,607,886 

1888 

57 

7,129 

2,263 

6,378,608 

1891 

63 

8,478 

2,774 

7,649,097 

1894 

68 

10,412 

3,641 

8,940,880 

1898 

75 

12,935 

4,519 

10,525,742 

1901 

75 

14,501 

5,211 

13,455,153 

Deaconess  Homes  of  the  Protestant  Diaconate 
Conference  in  the  United  States. 


Namks  and  Addresses  of  the  Institutions. 

o 

s 

E  Co 

cf°  O 
2  -.3 

a 

en 

o 

1886 

1888 
1889 
1889 
1892 

1892 
1894 

18« 

1895 

1901 
1896 
1896 
1895 

1899 

5 

26 
4 
22 
14 

12 
9 

11 

26 

4 
5 

53 
5 

8 

3 
3 

$61,500 

110,000 
50.000 
35,000 
16,000 

50,000 
45,000 

85,000 
80,000 

German  Deaconess  Home    and   Hospital,   Cincin- 
nati, O 

"  Tabea  "  Institute,  Lincoln,  Neb 

Evangelical  Deaconess  Home,  St.  Louis,  Mo 

Deaconess  Home  "  Bethesda,"  Cleveland,  O 

Protestant  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital,  Evans- 
ville   Ind                        

Deaconess  Home  "  Bethany,"  Brooklyn,  N.  Y 

Protestant  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital,  Indian- 
apolis   Ind                                              

Diaconate  Society  of  the  Evangelical  Association, 
Chicago,  111                            

5.500 

German  Methodist  Deaconess  Home,  Cincinnati,  0. 

Methodist  Deaconess  Home,  Louisville,  Ky 

Evangelical  Diaconate  and  Hospital  Society,  Lin- 
coln 111  .                          / 

112,000 
35,000 

190 

24 

$685,000 

Deaconess  Homes  in  the  Lutheran  Church  in  the 
United  States. 


Names  and  Addresses  of  the  Institutions. 

g 

CO 

O 
O 

< 

la 

Mary  J.  Drexel  Home,  Philadelphia,  Pa 

1890 

1891 

1885 
1895 

1890 
1900 

75 

28 

26 

14 
25 

43 
4 

14 

9 

6 

4 
4 

4 

1 

$600,000 

Deaconess  Institute  "  Immanuel,"  Omaha,  Neb 

Milwaukee  Deiiconess  Home  and  Hospital,  Wis- 

50,000 
250,000 
30,000 

Norwegiun   Lutheran   Deaconess  Home  and  Hos- 
pital, Brooklyn.  N.  Y 

Lutheran  Deaconess  Mother  House,  Baltimore,  Md. 
Norwegian    Lutheran    Deaconess   Home,   Minne- 
apolis, Minn                      .                                 

30,000 

Passavunt  Memorial  Hospital,  tlhicago.  Ill 

218 

40 

INDEX 


Page. 
Abbott,  Anna  Agnes 426 

Altoua,  The  Deaconess  Institute  in 95,  299 

Amsterdam,  The  Lutheran  Deaconess  Mother  House  in....   230 

Anna,   Sister,   Countess  of   Stolberg-Weringerode 77-79 

Apostolic  Church,  The  Institution  in 16 

Apostolic  Constitution 18,  24 

Arnheim,   The   Mother   House   in 229 

Aurora,  111..  The  Young  Woman's  School  in 352 

Australia,  The  Deaconess  Cause  in 463 

Austria-Hungary,  The  Deaconess  Cause  in 242 

Baltimore,  Md.,  The  Lutheran  Deaconess  Home  and  Training- 
school  in •^-   266 

Baltimore,  Md.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 376-378 

Baltimore,  Md.,  The  Mount  Tabor  Industrial  Institution  in.  .   376 

Bancroft,    Miss    Henrietta    A 328-3.30 

Baptist  Church,  The  Deaconess  Work  in " 472 

Baur,  Johanna  M 427 

Beard,  D.  D.,  Rev.  J.  N. 388 

Berlin,  "Bethanien" "^^ 

Berlin,     The     Deaconess     Home     "Bethel"     of     the     Baptist 

Church .164-168 

Berlin,  The  Elizabeth  Hospital  and  Deaconess  Home 83 

Bern,  The  Deaconess  Institution  in 216 

Bethany  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Ger- 
many and  Switzerland 128 

Bielefeld,   The   Deaconess   Home   in 84-91 

Biernatzki,   Pastor   Dr.    K.    L 95 

Binder,   Miss  Myrtha 441 

Bodelschwingh,  Pastor  Friedrich  von 88-91 

Bodelschwingh,  Prussian  Minister  E.  von 37,  88 

Boehme •  ^^ 

Boston,  Mass.,  The  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in 370-3(2 

Bridgeport,  O.,  The  Hollaway  Deaconess  Home  in 404 

Brooklyn,   N.   Y.,   The  Bethany   Deaconess   Home   and    Hos- 
pital in 441 

Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  The  Deaconess  Home  and  Training-school  in  369 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  The  Norwegian  Lutheran  Deaconess  Insti- 
tute in 270 

Buckley,  D.  D.,  Rev.  J.  M 517 

607 


608  Index. 


Budapest,  The  Mother  Home  "Bethesda"   in 242 

Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  The  German  Deaconess  Home  in 284 

Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  The  Methodist  Deaconess  Home  in 379 

Cairo,  Egypt 72 

Central  German  Deaconess  Board,  The 432 

Charteris.  D.  D.,  Rev.  Archibald  Hamilton 203,  204 

Chicago,  111.,  The  Deaconess  Home  "Bethesda"  in 287 

Chicago,  111.,  The  German  Baptist  Deaconess  Society  in 299 

Chicago,  111.,  The  German  Deaconess  Institution  in 440 

Chicago,   111.,  The  Passavant  Memorial   Hospital  in 272 

Chicago,  111.,  The  Training-school  for  Missions  in 341-349 

Chicago,   111.,  The  Wesley  Hospital  in 353 

Christiansen,  The  Deaconess  Mother  House  in 247 

Chrysostom 25 

Cincinnati,  O.,  The  Christ  Hospital  in 355 

Cincinnati,  O.,  The  Deaconess  Home  for  Colored  People  in.  .  409 
Cincinnati,  O.,  The  Elizabeth  Gamble  Deaconess  Home  and 

Christ  Hospital  in 354 

Cincinnati,  O.,  The  German  Protestant  Deaconess  Home  and 

Hospital  in 273 

Cincinnati,    O.,    The    German    Methodist    Mother    House    and 

Bethesda  Hospital  in 433 

Cleveland,  O.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 381 

Cleveland,  O.,  The  Deaconess  Home  of  the  German  Reformed 

Church   in 291 

Colorado  Springs,  Col.,  The  National  Deaconess  Sanitarium  in  408 

Columbus,  O.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 406 

Congregational  Deaconess  Association .   465 

Constitution  of  Kaiserswerth 570 

Copenhagen,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 245 

Dayton,  O.,  The  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in 277 

Deaconess  and  the  Professional  Nurse,  The 585 

Deaconess  Work  in  the  Lutheran  Church  of  America 249 

Deaconess  Mother  House,  The 574 

Denver,  Col.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 397 

Des  Moines,  la..  The  Bidwell  Deaconess  Home  in 385 

Detroit,  Mich.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 405 

Diaconate  of  the  Women,  The 22,  24 

Disselhoff,  Rev.  Julius 64,  557 

Duesseldorf    49 

Eckert,  Rev.  G.  J 152,  154 

Edge  water,  111.,  The  Old  People's  Home  in 351 

Eilers,  Rev.  F 132,  135 

Elberfeld,  The  "Bethesda"  Deaconess  Home  in 159 

England,  The  Deaconess  Cause  io 170-203 


In"dex.  609 

England,   The   Deaconess   Cause   in   the   Established    Church 

in   178-183 

England,  The  Diocesan  Institutions  in 180-183 

England,  The   Institutions  of  the   Wesley   Methodist  Church 

in   191-201 

Englnnd,  Mildmay,  London,  The  Deaconess  Institution  in  186-190 

England,  Sisterhood  of  the  Wesleyan  Church 192 

England,  Tottenham,  London,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 184 

Evangelical  Association,  The  Deaconess  Cause  in 302 

Evangelical  Deaconess  Homes  in  America 295-299 

Evangelical  Diaconate  Society 122 

Evansville,  Ind.,  The  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in 280 

Fall  River,  Mass.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 404 

Filial  Deaconess  Home,  The  First 117 

First  German  Deaconess  Society  in  the  United  States,  The. .  289 

First   Protestant   Hospital  in  America,  The 251,  252 

Flensburg,  The  Mother  House  in 99 

Fliedner,  Caroline  (Bcrtheau) 49 

Fliedner,  Theodor 46,  55,  5y 

Fogelstroem,    Rev.    E.    A '...'269 

France,  The  Deaconess   Institutions  of 208-214 

Frankfort-on-the-Main.  The  Methodist  Mother  House  in 136 

Frederick  William  IV 41,  51,  70 

Freeport,  111.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in '. .  .   402 

Fry,  Elizabeth 170-176 

Fry,  Mrs.  Susan,  M.  D 305,  310 

Gallagher,  D.  D.,  Rev.  C.  W 366 

Gallneukirchen,  The  Evangelical  Deaconess  Institute  in 243 

Gamble,  Mrs.  Fannie  Nast 414,  416 

Gamble,  James  N \  ^  ^  '  35^ 

German  Deaconess  Homes  in  the  United  States 429 

Goedel,    Rev.    Karl *  '    '  261 

Golder,  Miss  Louise 43O,  436,  437 

Gossner,  Pastor  Johannes .83-85 

Grand     Rapids,     Mich.,     The    Aldrich     Memorial    Deaconess 

Home  in 395 

Gregg,  Mary  Eva 425 

Groningen,  The  Deaconess  Mother  House  in 229 

Guben,  The  Evangelical  Lutheran  Deaconess  Home  in Ill 

Haarlem,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 226 

Hague,  The,  The  Deaconess  Home  in. ]  225 

Hamburg,  The  Deaconess  Institution  "Bethlehem"  iu.  .'.'.'.'.   101 

Hamburg,  The  Deaconess  Home  "Ebenezer"  in 161 

Hamburg,  The  Methodist  Deaconess  Home  in 141,  142 

Hanover,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 105,  106 

jHaerter,  Franz  Heinrich , , , 79-83 


610  Index. 


Harris,  N.  W 344 

Haynes,  Mrs.  Kate  Rawls 359 

Hayes,  Mrs.  Lucy  Webb 362 

Helsingfors,  The  Deaconess  Mother  House  in 237 

Henning,  F.  Frank  F 287,  288 

Holland,  The  Deaconess  Homes  of 221-232 

Hortsch,   Rev.   H.   W 276 

Hospital,   Block  System,  The 507,  508 

Hospital,  Church,  The 516 

Hospital,  City,  The 510 

Hospital,   Corridor   System,    The 507,  508 

Hospital,  Cottage,  The 511 

Hospital,  Deaconess,  The 524 

Hospital,  Deaconess,  The,  and  the  Hospital  in  General 498 

Hospital,  Medical  College,  The 514 

Hospital,  Military,  The 515 

Hospital,  Pavilion  System,  The 507,  509 

Hospital,    Private,   The 515 

Howson,   Dean 22 

Hughes,  Rev.  Hugh  Price 192,  197 

India,  The  Work  in 418 

India,  The  Deaconess  Institute  of  the   Protestant   Episcopal 

Church  in 464 

Indianapolis,  Ind.,  The  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in.  ..  .   393 

Indianapolis,  Ind.,  The  Protestant  Deaconess  Home  in 283 

Ingram,  Helen 426 

Interdenominational    Homes 273 

Institutions  of  the  Evangelical  Association   in   Germany   and 

Switzerland    159-169 

Jeffersonville,  Ind.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 403 

Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 403 

Jerusalem,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 70,  71 

Jones,  Agnes 176 

Kaiserswerth 59-74 

Kaiserswerth,  The  First  Deaconess  Home  in 59 

Kaiserswerth  Twenty-five  Years  Ago 60 

Kajser,  Anna,  The  First  Deaconess  in  Sweden 169 

Kansas  City,  Kan.,  The  "Bethany"  Deaconess  Hospital  in.  ..   384 
Kansas  City,  Mo.,  The  "Emanuel"  Deaconess  Home  in....   445 
Kansas  City,  Mo.,  The  Fisk  Deaconess  Home  and  Training- 
school  in 383 

Keller,  Mrs.  H.  E 406 

Kloenne,  Pastor 42,  43 

Knight,  Mrs.  S.  H 373,  374 

Knoxville,  Tenn.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 403 

Kreitler,  F.  X 434 


Index.  611 


La  Crosse,  Wis.,  The  "Thoburn"  Deaconess  Home  in 405 

Ladies'  and  Pastors'  Christian  Union 307,  308 

Lake  Bhiff,  111.,  Tlie  Deaconess  Orphanage  in 349 

Lake  Bluff,  111.,  The  Deaconess  Sanitarium  in 349 

Langenau,  Baroness  of 154,   155 

Lankenau,   Elizabeth   Catherine 258,  259 

Lankenau,  John  D 257 

Laseron,  Dr.   Michael 184,  185 

Lausanne,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 141 

Leipzig,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 103-105 

Liebhart,   Dr.   Henry 430 

Lincoln,  III.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 291 

Lincoln,  Neb.,  The  "Tabitha"  Institute  in 299 

Loehe,  Pastor  Wilhelm 51,  52,  91,  295 

Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 390 

Louisville.  Kv.,  The  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in 443 

Lunn,  Miss  Mary  E 418 

Luther,  The  Deaconess  Cause 30-32 

Lutheran  Diaconate  Conference 272 

Magdeburg,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 157 

Malvesin,  Mademoiselle 212 

Manhart.  D.  D.,  Rev.  Frank  P 268 

Mann,   Rev.   H 136,  137,  152 

Martha  and  Mary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

152,  159 

Martens,  Katherine  Louise 252,  254 

Mayer,   Dr.   Karl 232,  234 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  The  Beginning  of  the  Deaconess 

Work  in 305 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  The  Deaconesses  of  the.  ..  .334-339 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  The  Deaconess  Society  of  the.  .  339 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  The  Deaconess  Cause  in.   477 

Meyer,  Pastor  Friedrich 95 

Meyer,  Dr.  J.  S 344.  349 

Meyer,   Mrs.  Lucy  Rider 316-320 

Milwaukee,  Wis.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 399 

Milwaukee,    Wis.,   The    Deaconess    Mother    House   and    Hos- 
pital in 264 

Minneapolis,    Minn.,    The    Norwegian     Lutheran    Deaconess 

Home  in 271 

Minneapolis,   Minn.,   The  Rebecca  Deaconess  Home  and   the 

Asbury    Hospital    in 373 

Mission   and    Aim    of   the    Female    Diaconate   in    the   United 

States 480 

Mittau,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 241 

Moravians,  The  First  Deaconess  Home  of  the 110 

Mountain  Lake  Park,  Md.,  The  Rest  Home  in 408 


612  Ikdex. 


Miiehlenberg,  D,  D.,  Rev.  William  August 449 

Munich,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 157 

Napper,  Dr.  Albert 511 

Nast,  Rev.  Dr.  A.  J 44(j 

Neuendettelsau,  The  Deaconess  Institution  in 91 

Neumuenster,  The  Deaconess  Institution  in 218 

Newark,  N.  J.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 400 

New  Orleans,  La.,  The  Deaconess  Society  in 299 

New   York   City,   The   Deaconess   Home  and   Training-school 

in , 367,  368 

New  Zealand,  The  Deaconess  Cause  in 464 

Niesky,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 106 

Nightingale,    Florence 175,  506 

Ninck,  Rev.  Karl  Wilhelm  Theodor 102,  103 

Normal,  111.,  The  Mason  Deaconess  Home  in. 403 

Nuremberg,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 155,  156 

Ocean  Grove,  N.  J.,  The  Bancroft  Rest  Home  in 407 

Olympia 25-26 

Omaha,  Neb.,  The  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  in 382 

Omaha,   Neb.,   The  Swedish  Deaconess   Institute   "Emanuel" 

in 268 

Palmer,  Miss  Sybil  C 374 

Pank,  Dr 103 

Passavant,  D.  D.,  Rev.  William 249-256,  264,  585 

Peirce,    Miss  Hannah   M 357 

Pennefather,  D.   D.,   Rev.   William 186,  190 

Peoria,  111.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 400 

Philadelphia,  Pa.,  The  German  Hospital  in 260 

Philadelphia,  Pa.,  The  Mary  J.  Drexel  Deaconess  Home  in.  .   257 

Philadelphia,  Pa.,  The  Methodist  Deaconess  Home  in 378 

Pittsburg,  Pa.,  The  Methodist  Deaconess  Home  in 380 

Phoebe 20 

Principles  of  the  Deaconess  OflSce 557 

Protestant  Diaconate  Conference,  The 302 

Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  The  Deaconess  Work  in 460 

Protestant    Episcopal    Church    of   America,    The    Female    Di- 
aconate in 449 

Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  The  Sisterhood  in 450 

Providence,  R.  I.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 402 

Pueblo,  Cal.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 402 

Quincy,  111.,  The  Chaddock  Boys'  Institution  in 353 

Rauhe  Haus 54 

Recke-Vollmerstein,  Count  Adelbert  v 43 

Beeves,  Isabella  A , ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,  425 


Index.  613 


Reformation,  The  Deaconess  Cause 30,  31 

Reformed  Church,  The  Deaconess  Cause  in 472 

Reichers,   Gertrude 48,  60,  63 

Renewal  of  the  Female  Diaconate  in  Modern  Times 33 

Rensselaer,    N.   Y.,   The   Elizabeth    Wellington    GriflBn   Home 

in 401 

Reval,  The  Evangelical  Lutheran  Institute  in 239 

Rheiniseh-Wesfalischer  Diakonie  Verein 62,  65,  74,  77 

Riehen,  The  Deaconess  Institution  in 220 

Riga,  The  Evangelical  Deaconess  Home  "Maria"  in 240 

Riley,  Rev.  W.  H 410 

Roanoke,  W.  Va.,  The  Colored  Deaconess  Home  in 413 

Robinson,  Mrs.  Jane  M.  Bancroft 322-328 

Rochester,  N.  Y.,  The  St.  John's  Home  for  Aged  in 391 

Roentgen,   Rev.   J.   H.    C 293,  294 

Rotterdam,  The  Deaconess  Institution  in 230 

Russia,  The  Deaconess  Homes  in 232-241 

Rust,  Mrs.  R.  S 330,  331 

San    Francisco,    Cal.,    The    Deaconess    Home    and    Training- 
school  in SH7 

St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  The  "Ensvvorth"  Deaconess  Home  in 404 

St.  Louis,  Mo.,  The  Evangelical  Deaconess  Home  at 296 

St.  Loup,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 214 

St.  Petersburg,  The  Deaconess  Mother  House  in 232 

Saratha,  The  Alexander  Asylum  in 241 

Sarepta  84,  86 

Schaefer,   Pastor  Theodor 96-99 

Schaefer,  Pastor  N.  G 163 

Scheve,  Rev.  Edward 1(54,  166 

Schneider,  Sister  Louise 152,  154 

Schultz,  August  Gottlieb  Ferdinand 76,  77 

Scott,  Miss  E.  Jane 476 

Scotland,  The  Deaconess  Cause  in 202-207 

Scriptural  Conceptions  of  Deaconesses  and  Their  Work....   447 

Seattle,  Wash.,  The  Deaconess  Hospital  in 397 

Seney,  George  1 520 

Severinghaus,  Rev.  J.  F 282 

Sieveking,  Amelia 37 

Sioux  City,  la.,  The  Shesler  Deaconess  Home  in 396 

Sisterhood   Community   in   West    Prussia 126 

Smyrna,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 69 

Spokane,    Wash.,    The    Maria    Beard    Deaconess    Home    and 

Hospital  in 386 

Sprunger's  Deaconess  Institutes 300,  301 

Stein,   Minister  v 37 

Stevenson,  D.  D.,  Rev.  T.  P 198 

Stewart,  Dr.   Scott 422 

Stockholm,  The  Deaconess  Mother  House  in 248 


614  Index. 


Strassburg,  The  Evangelical  Deaconess  Home  in 79 

Strassbui-g,    The    Mother    House    of    the    Evangelical    Asso- 
ciation in 163 

Stuttgart,  The  Deaconess  Institutions  in 99-101 

Sweden,    The   Deaconess    Work   of   the   Methodist    Episcopal 

Church  in 168,  169 

Switzerland,  The  Deaconess  Institutions  of 214-221 

The  Lucy  Webb  Hayes  Deaconess  Home 362 

Thoburn,  Bishop  J.  M. . 311,  316 

Thoburn,  Miss  Isabella 314,  315,  418-425 

Tobschall,    Ida 284 

Toronto,    Canada,    The   Deaconess    Institution    and    Training- 
school  of  the  Protestant   Episcopal  Church   in 462 

Toronto,  Canada,  The  Methodist  Deaconess  Home  in 474 

Traeger,  Rev.  W.  H 438 

Uhlhorn,  Dr.  Gerhard 35,  36,  105,  106 

United  Brethren  Church,  The  Deaconess  Organization  in...   468 
Urbana,     111.,     The     "Cunningham"     Deaconess     Home     and 

Orphanage  in 406 

Utrecht,  The  Deaconess  Mother  House  in 222 

Valette,  Pastor  Louis 211 

Verbank,  N.  Y.,  The  Watts  de  Peyster  Home  in 395 

Vermeil,  Pastor  Antoine 209 

Wallon,  Rev.   L 443 

Washington,  D.  C,  The  "Sibley"  Memorial  Hospital  in....   364 

Washington,  D.  C,  The  National  Training-school  in 362 

Washington,  D.  C,  The  "Rust"  Training-school  in 365 

Watkins,  D.  D.,  Rev.  T.  C 372 

Weakley,   D.    D.,    Rev.   H.   C 392 

Weiss,  Rev.  Leonhardt » .  .   147 

Wesley,  John 34,  171,  173 

Wesley,  Susanna 172 

Wiborg,  The  Deaconess  Institution  "Bethel"  in 240 

Wichern,   Rev.  John 36,  51,  52,  53 

Wichita,  Kan.,  The  Deaconess  Home  in 398 

Wilke,    Friedrich Ill 

Wittemeyer,  Mrs,  Anna 306,  309 

Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society  Deaconess  Board 340 

Woman  Question  in  the  Light  of  the  New  Testament 526 

Yellow  Springs,  O.,  The  Methodist  Home  for  the  Aged  in. . . .  390 

Zinzendorf,  Count  of 106,  108 

Zurich,  The  Methodist  Deaconess  Home  in 142,  143 


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